The Forgotten Son
by TheRanger1375
Summary: AU. Harry Potter is born July 31st 1977 to James and Lily Potter. Daniel Potter is born July 29th 1980 to James and Lily. On Halloween 1981 the Dark Lord goes to Godric's Hollow to kill the One with the Power to Vanquish him. Four year old Harry steps in front of Daniel's crib to protect him from the Killing Curse and changes both of their lives forever. Wrong BWL, Powerful!Harry
1. Chapter 1: Before the Beginning

A/N: Hey all thank you for stopping by and checking out the story. This is my first foray into writing fanfiction so I hope you will all go easy on me and rate and review to your heart's content.

A couple notes before we begin. This is a wrong Boy Who Lived story with Harry being the true BWL and his younger brother, Daniel, getting all the recognition. Fair warning: this story will contain dark content such as child neglect, horrible abuse and later in the story possible lemons.

This will be a Harry/Fleur/Tonks story that will include powerful!Harry, slightly dark!Harry.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 1: Before the Beginning

May 7th 1945

Charlus Potter was tired. Very, very tired. Tired of war, tired of bloodshed, and most of all tired of those who seek glory and fame through others' accomplishments. He had led his squadron alongside his brother in all but blood, Arcturus Black deep into Grindelwald's last line of defense.

Though Charlus was a Potter and firmly rooted in the Light, this was War and everyone knew it. Both Magical and Mundane felt the repercussions from the Second World War and the Rise of Grindelwald. While Adolf Hitler was sprouting off his ideas for a perfect society led by an Aryan Race, Gellert Grindelwald had many of the same ideals his Muggle counterpart had. He believed it was his birthright to rule over the Mundane world and establish a society where witches and wizards were known to Muggles and these Muggles would be far inferior to Magicals.

This is what Charlus was fighting against. The so called, 'Greater Good' which called for the mass extermination or subservience of Muggles around the world.

Charlus and Arcturus burst into the heavily fortified building that was holding the reminder of Grindelwald's army. Like a synchronized dance, Charlus and Arcturus fought through soldiers with their advanced knowledge in Battle Magic taken directly from the Potter and Black libraries. Arcturus' spells were borderline dark, causing Grindelwald's soldiers to fall like puppets who's strings were cut, while Charlus focused mainly on defense. Charlus blocked a killing curse headed for Arcturus by conjuring a marble slate, then transfigured the shards of marble into spears and banished them to the enemy.

A great explosion rocked the room as an outer wall exploded into the occupied room and the Devil himself stood among the dust and debris. With his men dead, dying or otherwise incapacitated, Gellert Grindelwald stepped up to face the remaining fighters of the Light. The tip of his relatively long wand glowing a sickly green.

With a distinct advantage, the remaining of Charlus' forces began casting at the man who had caused so much death and destruction in Magical Europe. 'It's like fighting a God,' Charlus thought to himself as Grindelwald almost effortlessly began taken down his fighters with Dark curses. The first man to fall was hit with a black curse that, on impact, began eating at the skin causing the man to fall while shrieking in pain. The man had no skin left on his body before he even hit the floor.

In no time, it was only Charlus and Arcturus left fighting the fiercest Dark Lord since Herpo the Foul of Ancient Greece. The Dark Lord sent an overpowered banishing charm at the both of them sending them flying backwards in the air. As they hit the floor hard, Charlus saw two spells coming from Grindelwald's wand toward the both of them. Though disoriented Charlus was able to transfigure a nearby table into a large bear that attempted to jump in front of the curses. The yellow/orange curse intended for Charlus was intercepted but the bear was not fast enough to get in fron of the purple spell that hit Arcturus in the chest.

Charlus was so occupied with getting him aid that he did not see the distinguishing scarlet of the Disarming charm that hit him and knocked his wand to the other side of the room.

"And so ends Lords Potter and Black. Tell me, how does it feel knowing that without its fiercest fighters, the Light is at its end?" Grindelwald said with malice dripping from his tongue. He had barely moved from his side of the room. "Without you, there will be no one to stop m," Grindelwald continued.

"You can kill us now Grindelwald, but you cannot kill the hope that remains," Charlus declared defiantly. Not looking away from the Dark Lord as he held his dying friend in his arms.

"You are all fools!" Grindelwald yelled. "Wizards and witches should not be hiding from filthy Muggles. No, we should be ruling over them. We have powers they could never even dream of! They are worthless and do not deserve to lick the sum from our boots."

"You're wrong Grindelwald," Charlus spat. "But I fear it is too late for you to see reason."

"Reason..." Grindelwald drawled sarcastically. "You could have been great Potter, had you joined the right side."

With that, Grindelwald raised the Elder Wand and said two of most horrifying words in the Wizarding World.

"_AVADA KEDAVRA_," Spat the Dark Lord. The almost emerald green light flew from the 15", thestral hair wand towards Charlus Potter. Charlus closed his eyes accepting his fate with his long time friend.

The green curse never hit Charlus however as a great marble slab appeared just before the two fallen wizards. Both Charlus and Grindelwald looked around searching for the savior when he stepped into the room through a massive hole in the wall caused by erratic spellfire.

Albus Dumbledore stepped into the light to face his former friend and lover for the last time.

"Albus, how good of you to join us," Grindelwald said with false cheeriness. "Why don't you walk away and let me finish these two blood traitors. We both know you cannot fight me."

"Alas, that is where you are wrong Gellert," Dumbledore replied calmly. "I have recently managed to dispel the Blood Pact we made all those years ago."

At these words Charlus looked up with surprise and confusion etched upon his face while Grindelwald paled considerably at his enemy's words.

"It matters not Albus," Gellert declared. "I hold the Deathstick! The wand we searched for all those years ago. You cannot hope to defeat me. I will shape this world into the one we dreamed of so many years ago and despite all the power you hold, I will succeed. I MUST succeed. For the Greater Good," he finished confidently, raising his wand up in preparation for the fight of his life.

Albus looked at his former friend with sadness and regret. No matter how hard he looked, the young man he once loved no longe showed through his heterochromatic eyes. But he could not give up on Gellert. He knew there was a chance that he would be able to be brought back from the Dark path he had been set on for so many years.

"Gellert please do not do this," Albus pleaded, holding his hands out to in front of him. "Please drop this foolish quest and come back to the Light."

The only response Dumbledore received was the light of spellfire that came his way from the Dark Lord. And thus one of the most spectacular duels of all time began.

Spells rang out around the room in an impressive display of magic that no one had ever seen before. Spells of a questionable nature came flying from the Elder Wand of the Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald and clashed with the 13" Ebony wand of Albus Dumbledore.

—

Charlus looked on in awe at the two sorcerers battling with all of their hearts. He had pulled the dying form of his friend out of the way to avoid being hit by a stray spell. He had retrieved his wand and was running it over Arcturus' prone body with diagnostic charms. Though he was a soldier and not a healer, he still had battlefield healing as a part of his arsenal. The results of the diagnostic charm were not positive however. He sighed in defeat as tears started to pool in his eyes. As the tears started to fall he heard a rasping breath being taken and felt a hand roughly grab the the front of his battle robes.

"Charlus...please..." Arcturus called out in a hoarse voice that shattered the General's heart. "I need...I need you to.. to promise me."

"Arcturus my brother please stop, please save your strength," Charlus begged. "I am going to get you out of here."

Arcturus half chuckled, half coughed. Blood started running from his nose and mouth. "We both know... I won't make it brother. I need you to make this pact with me." Though he was struggling to speak, Charlus could see determination and hope through the pain displayed on Arcturus' face.

"What do you need from me?" Charlus asked, watching his powerful and strong friend in such a state was painful for him to see.

"A blood pact. A blood pact to secure our families," Arcturus choked out just before a coughing fit struck his body causing blood to fly from his mouth. "A pact to each other that Magic itself will aid us in.

"Please...please swear to me that the Potters will look out for those of Black blood in need of aid, and I will do the same. Promise me that should a time come," Arcturus paused as another violent coughing fit racked his body. "Should the time come, the Noble and... Most Ancient House of Potter... will help those in need from the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black," Arcturus begged Charlus as tears of blood began to pour down the injured man's face. Charlus looked at him with affection and loyalty in his eyes and nodded slowly, drawing his wand.

"I Charlus Hadrian Potter, Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, do hereby swear this oath of friendship and family to the House of Black. Whenever a Black is in need, a Potter shall be at their side. Should a Black go to War, a Potter shall be by their side. On my magic and my life, so I swear, so mote it be." A flash of white light flashed from the tip of his wand, signifying the acceptance of the magical oath.

Arcturus looked to Charlus in sadness and determination, blood still pouring from eyes, nose, mouth and ears. "Charlus help me raise my wand," he requested softly as his life force was flowing steadily from his body. The slow moving organ-liquefying curse had almost run its course. Charlus, tears flowing heavier than ever, obeyed his friend's last request.

"I Arcturus Orion Black, Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, do hereby wear this oath of friendship and family to the House of Potter. Whenever," Arcturus stopped to cough as his eyes began to glaze over and the liveliness left them, leaving a haunted look. "Whenever a Potter is in need, a Black shall be at their side. Should a Potter go to War, a Black shall be by their side. On my m-magic and my l-life, so I swear, so mote it b-b-be," he finished, gasping out the last sentence with extreme difficulty. A white light flashed from his wand and a golden light formed and bound the two families together for eternity. As the golden light diminished, Arcturus' hand went limp. The last of his life force leaving his body leaving him dead in the arms of his brother in all but blood. An inhumane howl left the throat of Charlus Potter as he felt the life leave his best friend.

—

Albus Dumbledore was tired. The duel between Gellert and himself had taken a lot of his magic as he had to fend of attack after attack. Blood flowed from multiple wounds, courtesy of a few cutting curses, and his left shoulder was shattered from a bone-breaker. As he looked up from his cover at his adversary, he saw Gellert sporting a few wounds himself. His last two fingers on his non-dominant hand were in the ground and a nasty burn covered his chest. However, he was only breathing heavily as opposed to Albus' exhaustion. The power of the Elder Wand allowing his magic to flow easier with more power than other wands allow. The air between them was filled with dust from the damage of the room they had started, where Charlus Potter sat sobbing holding the body of Arcturus Black.

Albus was just thinking over his next plan of action when an overpowered piercing hex struck the transfigured stone he was hiding behind and caught him in his right collarbone. A cry of pain escaped his mouth as he dropped his wand and fell forward. Gellert dispelled his cover and slowly walked toward him. Like a predator stalking his prey.

"It doesn't have to be like this Albus," Gellert said gently. "Please my old friend. Join my side and together we can change the world to suit our needs. We can accomplish all those goals we had as young men. We can find the other two Hallows and become the Masters of Death. I have you beaten Albus, but I do not want to see you die. Please my love, join me and together we can bring her back."

Albus looked up at him sharply at those words and looked into his eyes. He saw no deceit in the blue and brown eyes he grew up with. Only sincerity and, dare he hope, love? Albus would lie if he said he was not tempted, so tempted in fact the he probably would have accepted his Love's proposition had he not seen the glowing aura of Charlus Potter standing out of Gellert's line of sight. The anger and hate emanated from his eyes as he sent a cutting curse in his rage filled state. The curse struck Gellert in the upper back leaving a deep gash going from one shoulder to the other.

Gellert cried out and turned his attention to the young man behind him. And sent spell after spell at the returning combatant. Albus crawled away from the fight in search of his lost wand while Gellert and Charlus fought each other like possessed men. Unfortunately for Charlus, Gellert was among the greatest duelists the world had ever seen and was exceptionally more powerful than the young Lord Potter. Gellert sent a spell chain consisting of a cutter, shield breaker, followed up by a bone-breaker that caught Charlus in the chest and shattered his sternum. Breathing heavily in uneven gasps, Charlus crawled away from the Dark Lord as he raised his wand to finish the Lord Potter. What he did not see however was Albus finding his wand and sending his own spell chain at Gellert.

Having made his choice, influenced by the fight that had just occurred, Albus sent three overpowered spells at the unsuspecting Dark Lord. A disarming charm ripped the Elder Wand from his grasp as four thick ropes bound him tightly. Lastly a bone-breaker aimed true connected with Gellert's legs shattering his knees and rendering him defeated. Albus walked over to Charlus and after a quick diagnostic charm, mended the bones in his chest and put him to sleep with a sleeping charm.

He looked over to the downed Dark Lord sadly and spoke, "Why did you have to go about it that way Gellert? Why did you leave me all those years ago when I needed you? I needed comfort and you left me." Albus looked at him with tears in his eyes and continued, "Why did you have to kill all those innocents? It could have all been different had you stayed with me."

Albus bent down and picked up the Elder Wand and felt the power flow through his veins. He sent red sparks through the collapsed ceiling into the night sky to signal the Allies that they had won and looked down at the wand in his hand. At that moment he had an epiphany. A wand with this much power has a chance to be corrupted as Gellert had. He decided at that moment that he could not bear to use this wand as the power of it would undoubtedly corrupt him. The legend of the Elder wand says as much.

After the leaders of the International Confederation of Wizards had taken Grindelwald and any other captured soldiers into custody, the wounded were healed and went on their way with medals distinguishing their service. The very next day after his Magical counterpart was defeated in battled, Adolf Hitler, Dictator of Germany surrendered and went into hiding, thus ending the Second World War. Albus Dumbledore was celebrated as the hero of the Wizarding World and declared the Leader of the Light. No one knew of the involvement of Charlus Potter and Arcturus Black in the final fight, and no one involved said anything otherwise.

—

Two weeks later, a recovered Albus Dumbledore strolled down the streets of Diagon Alley with one goal in mind. As he reached his destination he opened the shop door and walked in seeing the familiar shelves filled its long, thin boxes.

"Albus Dumbledore, 13" ebony with a core of unicorn hair," a voice said from behind him. "If I remember correctly this wand is very well suited for Transfiguration."

"Ah Gervaise, how wonderful to see you again," Dumbledore said. The middle aged man stepped from the shadows into Albus' line of sight and greeted him with a handshake. Albus was brought back to when he first visited the store on his eleventh birthday to buy his trusted wand. He looked around the store in a state of nostalgia when he noticed a young man of about thirty-five organizing the shelves. "And who might this be?" He asked.

"Albus I would like to introduce you to my son, Garrick," Gervaise Ollivander replied in a voice filled with pride. "Garrick this is Professor Albus Dumbledore, Tranfiguration professor and Deputy Headmaster at Hogwarts. I believe you graduated just a few years before Albus took up his role as professor." Garrick shook the man of the Defeater of Grindelwald in not a little awe. On seeing this Albus chuckled merrily.

"My dear boy please call me Albus, I am merely a man who practiced his hardest to become the best wizard he could be," Albus said to the awed young man to put him at ease, his eyes twinkling madly.

Gervaise decided to save his son from embarrassment and shoes this moment to speak up, "Albus what can I do for you? You do not need a new wand do you?" He asked a little disapprovingly, as if a broken wand was an insult to him.

"Alas, no Gervaise I am afraid I must ask a rather large favor from you is there someplace we can speak in private?" Albus asked.

"Of course the workshop in the back will do just fine," Gervaise responded with a raised eyebrow. "However I must insist Garrick come along and attend our meeting. After all, he will be taking over this shop in mere years."

Albus looked from Gervaise to Garrick considering this request. It would not do to alienate the wandmaker by disregarding his wishes. Any other wandmaker would not agree to his demands.

"Very well," Albus stated.

In the workshop Albus told the story of his defeat of Grindelwald and how he had come into possession of the Wand of Destiny, the Deathstick, the Elder Wand. Gervaise and Garrick looked at the wand in awe and waited for Albus to ask his favor.

"So please, I ask of you to hold onto this wand," Albus pleaded. "Keep it safe, keep it a secret. At this point in time I am the Master of the Elder Wand so it would most likely not work better than a wand suited for someone else. I choose to keep this wand secret because as it corrupted Grindelwald, it could very well corrupt me. As a result if I ever come looking for it you must deny me. I cannot be trusted with this power."

After what seemed like hours but was really only a few moments, Gervaise responded, " Aye you are probably right Albus. We will hold this wand safely and keep it a secret until the end of our days. What would happen in this wand were to be particularly suited to an eleven year old purchasing a wand?" He asked curiously.

Albus looked at him apprehensively and said not a little condescendingly, "I doubt very much that this wand would choose a witch or wizard before they start their Magical Education."

Anger and irritation flowed through the Ollivanders but with their developed Occlumency shields, they were both able to effectively hide their reactions easily.

"Very well Dumbledore, we will do as you ask," Gervaise said as Garrick nodded his agreement. Albus did not catch the change of using his last name and stood up to leave.

"Thank you Gervaise, I hope you enjoy your day. Garrick it was a pleasure to meet you," Albus started cordially as he shook their hands and departed the store, not realizing of course that fifty years from that day the Elder Wand would be in the hands of one of the most powerful wizard to ever live.


	2. Chapter 2: Where it all Begins

A/N: Hey all thanks for checking in again. Since I did not say this in my first author's note, nor did I put it in the story summary, but this will be a relatively dark fic. Mentions of child abuse, torture, neglect attempted rape and other nasty topics will be brought up. I hope you all enjoyed chapter one! This chapter will be a lot quicker as I plan to jump ahead several years a few times. So without further adieu...enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

—

Chapter 2: Where it All Begins

_February 25th 1977_

Albus Dumbledore was annoyed. He had agreed to meet with a potential candidate to fill the position of Divination professor at Hogwarts and was currently sitting with the crazy bat now. Apparently descended from the legendary Seer Cassandra Trelawney, Sybil sat across the table from Albus drinking her sherry and sprouting off nonsense of her nonexistent talents. Personally, Albus found the subject of divination to be silly. Everyone knew that you cannot train someone to be a Seer. Like a Metamorphmagus, such talents could not be taught, you were either born with it or you were not. Thus, the subject being taught at Hogwarts seemed to serve as an easy 'Outstanding" for the laziest students.

Albus finished off the rest off his brandy and went to stand up when Trelawney stiffened and went rigid. At first, Albus thought something had gone dreadfully wrong until she began to speak in a harsh, distorted voice:

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."_

Albus could not believe what he was hearing. An actual prophecy! He recognized the validity of the prophecy as Sybil seemed to not recall what had just transpired. Albus was so focused on Sybil and state she had fallen in, that he'd did not even notice when there was a struggle outside the door to his room.

—

Severus Snape, recent graduate of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and even more recent recruit to the Death Eaters, kneeled in front of his master of only a few short weeks. He kneeled, stock still in a mixture of excitement, fear and awe at the man he believed would bring the Wizarding World back to its former glory, and no longer tainted by Mudbloods and the like. Though as soon as he thought of the word "Mudblood" a feeling of guilt rushed through him at the loss of the love of his life. With his advanced Occlumency, he tampered down that pesky feeling as the most powerful Dark Lord in generations began to address him.

"Severus my young friend please rise," the Dark Lord Voldemort said in his high, cruel voice. "You requested an urgent audience with me and here you are. It is rare for me to allow such new recruits to speak to me personally, so whatever you have to say had better be important." The menacing tone of the Dark Lord did not go unnoticed by anyone in the room as all those in attendance felt a shudder run through them.

"Please my Lord, I thank you for allowing me before you," Snape groveled. "I have just returned from The Hog's Head after hearing something that would be of great use to you."

"And what might that be?" Voldemort replied. "I do not like to be kept waiting Severus. So the sooner you speak, the sooner I will decide if what you tell me will be of use."

Again the Death Eaters in the massive hall shuddered with fright. None more than Snape himself, so he quickly began to retell what he had heard through the door of the private room above the Hog's Head. "_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies..." _

A number of of emotions passed the usually stoic face of the Dark Lord. Anger was the prevalent one, though Tom Riddle felt an emotion he had not felt for many years...fear. More anger followed fear and finally his face settled into a mien of cold calculation. He looked around the room containing his inner circle and settled on one of his long time followers.

"Avery, fetch our spy within St. Mungo's," he commanded.

The proud man bowed low, "At once my Lord," Avery replied as he scurried off to hind the Healer on Lucius Malfoy's payroll.

Lord Voldemort sat and relaxed on his throne and beckoned the still kneeling Snape toward him.

"Come to me Severus," he commanded in a soft tone.

Snape strode toward the Dark Lord and upon reaching him, sank once more to his knees and kissed the hem of his robes. He kept his head bowed, avoiding eye contact with his Lord as a sign of subordination and loyalty. He and the room waited for the Dark Lord to speak.

"Prophecies are a fickle thing," he said almost to himself. "There can be many ways to interpret them and while I never studied Divination, I have seen much throughout my life. I believe it to be best course to gain as much intelligence as we can before we act. Please rise Severus. You will be rewarded for what you have brought to me today. Go stand amongst your fellow Death Eaters." Snape stood up with a look of pride on his face and hurried to stand at the end of the hall with the newest members of the Dark Lord's inner circle. As he reached his position, the doors to the hall opened loudly, the wood protesting against the metal hinges, as Avery returned followed closely by a stout man wearing black robes. They reached the throne and bowed until the Dark Lord motioned the stout man to speak.

"My Lord, I am your humble servant. What do you require of me?" He asked keeping his head bowed as all followers were trained to.

"Yes Healer Thompson, thank you arriving in such a timely fashion," the Dark Lord said. While he was the better of his followers, he knew when to placate them into believing that he cared for them enough to lead them to a new age. He felt he had to keep morale amongst his followers high so they would die for him. And die for him, they would, though it did not matter to Lord Voldemort. To him, they were pawns, a means to an end. But the didn't need to know that. "Tell me my friend, has there been any expectant mothers coming through St. Mongo's? Perhaps women specifically expected to give birth at the end of July?"

"Yes my Lord. I specifically remember Lily and James Potter visiting the hospital for a check up," he declared to the Dark Lord. "I was able to use my clearance to see their files and they are expecting a baby boy for the last week of July to the first week of August."

At that admission, Lord Voldemort looked victorious while across the room Severus Snape paled dramatically. Though he kept a straight face and reinforced his Occlumency shields, his thoughts were running frantic. 'My sweet Lily, though she married the foul Potter, I cannot allow her to be butchered when it will be her son the Dark Lord is after. Maybe as my reward for bringing him the prophecy, he will spare her and give her to me,' he thought hopefully. She would not be happy at first but maybe, in time, she could come to forgive him and hopefully love him. He was pulled from his thoughts when the Dark Lord spoke again.

"Thank you Healer Thompson, you may leave."

"Thank you my Lord, I hope the information I brought you will be useful to you." Thompson bowed low and left the room.

"Lord Voldemort's mind was churning, digesting this new information. If he believed in the prophecy, it would seem as if the spawn of Potter would be the child prophesied to be his downfall. Before he jumped to any rash conclusions, he took a breath and began to think critically. It would not due to attack the family family prematurely, after all he still had his diary Horcrux safely in the hands of Lucius Malfoy. When researching how to make Horcruxes, he set out originally to make seven of them. As seven was the most magically powerful number, he felt a sense of ironic pride as he would be essentially destroying a law of magic with his soul containers. Upon further reading however, he realized that if one were to make multiple Horcruxes, they would render themselves significantly weaker than the average witch or wizard. Though he saw himself as the most powerful sorcerer in the world, he did not want to give himself any disadvantage and only created the single soul container.

"We will proceed with caution," Voldemort mused softly. "Though the young Potter could be the Child of Prophecy, there is a chance that another will be born this year, or even a few years from now. We will continue as we have been, infiltrating the Ministry and other high level positions in the Wizarding World. We will keep with our attacks, striking fear into the hearts of Magical and Muggle alike! In a few short years, my brothers and sister, we will take over this world and mould it into one in which the Purebloods rule over those inferior to us! We will lead this world into a new age!" He finished loudly, having to yell amidst the cheering of his most loyal followers. He catered to their hopes and dreams and in return they gave him the thing he desired above all else...power.

—

_July 31st 1977_

James Potter was a nervous wreck, though he tried not to show it. His wife of a year, Lily, was squeezing his hand so tightly, he could feel the bones scraping against each other. This wasn't unexpected however, as they were both in the maternal wing at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. They day had finally come and James, while nervous, was ecstatic that he would be welcoming his heir into the world. Despite the happy occasion the Lord Potter couldn't help but wince every time Lily threatened him with castration or death every time a contraction ripped its way through Lily's body.

"If you think you're ever coming near me again with that _thing _you've got another thing coming," Lily growled low enough that only James could hear her. He gulped noticeably as a bead of sweat dripped down his temple. Despite the whispered threats James could only allow his wife to attempt to break his hand while he whispered encouragement in her ear.

"You're almost there Lils. I love you so much you're the strongest person I know," he whispered to her and felt her almost unnoticeable loosen her grip. His relief was somewhat short lived as his wife gave one more earth shattering cry and slumped down exhausted. James was about to yell to a Healer for help when a second cry emanated from his wife's feet. Lily squeezed his hand softly and looked down to the bundle in the Healer's arms.

"Would you like to cut the cord Lord Potter?" Healer Jenkins asked.

"Hell yes I would," James said excitedly, much to the Healer's amusement and his wife's chagrin.

"James!" She scolded. "Watch your mouth in front of the baby!" James looked at her with a sheepish smile and cast a low powered severing hex at the umbilical cord, cutting the physical connection between mother and son.

After the baby's first feeding, James and Lily Potter looked at each other fondly. After what looked like a silent conversation, they looked to the baby in their arms and came to a decision.

"Hadrian James Potter," Lily whispered in a voice filled with adoration and amazement. James looked to her with happy tears in his eyes and kissed her softly. As he pulled back, he noticed her eyelids looked heavy with exhaustion.

"I'm going to take him outside and meet everyone," James said softly. "Get some rest my love, I will be back soon." Lily smiled at him and kissed him and little Hadrian before handing him to James to get some well deserved rest.

James took Harry, yes while his full first name was Hadrian, James decided his loved ones will call him Harry, out to the waiting room to show off his heir to their friends and loved ones. There were an abundance of people both and Lily and James met from school and even a few of their former professors waiting to see the scion of House Potter. First there was Hadrian's sworn Godfather, newly declared Lord Sirius Black, James' very best and closest friend. Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were standing just behind him. The former with a large smile on his face and tears in his eyes while the latter looked a little pale and shaky, but smiling nonetheless. Marlene McKinnon and Emmeline Vance, a couple of their newest friends from the Order of the Phoenix were dabbing their eyes with handkerchiefs and Frank and Alice Longbottom, Alice was selected to be Harry's Godmother, were waiting their turn to see the new baby. Behind them were Hogwarts professors Minerva McGonagall, the usually stern transfiguration Mistress was silently crying into her hand at the joy her two favorite students would be reveling in, while Charms Master and former Dueling Champion Filius Flitwick was bouncing on his toes in excitement. Behind them, standing tall and proud was Headmaster of Hogwarts and leader of the Order of the Phoenix Albus Dumbledore looking at James and Harry with his grandfatherly smile and a twinkle in his eyes. Nobody in the room detected the machinations that were traveling through the Headmaster's head at the moment.

_Born as the seventh month dies... _was the the thought that was most prevalent in his mind at the moment. Though he hadn't told anyone of the prophecy made by Sybil Trelawney all those months ago, after all he had to play his cards close to his chest, Albus had a feeling this boy was the Child of Prophecy. He was reminded of the reports coming from his spies in Voldemort's camp. The Dark Lord knew of the first part of the prophecy thanks to the eavesdropping of one Severus Snape and though he felt slightly threatened he had yet to make a move to eliminate the family. Severus had come to Albus a few weeks after the prophecy had been given to offer his allegiance as long as Lily Potter lived. Through Severus he was able to know much of what happened in the Dark Lord's camp. He knew that Peter Pettigrew was among the newest Death Eaters and was just recently branded with the Dark Mark. He knew Tom was biding his time to strike against the child destined to destroy him by building up his army of Pureblood supremacists and Dark creatures such as werewolves, giants and vampires.

Albus had told Severus that the fate of Lily Potter had essentially rested into his hands. Severus was to keep his ear to the round for any indication of Tom planning his attack. The Potters were safe were they were for the moment, hidden behind ancient wards at Potter Manor. But with Tom Riddle and his vast amount of power and knowledge still at large, no place was truly impregnable. Albus simply had to wait for the Dark Lord to make his move before setting his plans into motion,

—

_February 28th 1980_

The Dark Lord Voldemort sat on his high backed throne in the Great Hall of his base of operations. His most loyal followers stood along the walls watching as a portly man entered the hall and kneeled before Voldemort. Tom Riddle looked at the man from under his hood and bade him to speak.

"My Lord, I bring news from St Mungo's," he started and the whole room sucked in a breath as they recalled a similar topic being brought up three years ago. "I have been informed that Lily Potter has once again become pregnant and her second child his due at the end of July or the start of August." Lord Voldemort looked at Healer Thompson with a penetrating gaze and knew there was more news to come.

"And...?" The dark Lord started in his cold high voice.

"And," the stout Healer began. " Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom have also conceived a child due around the same time."

The Dark Lord absorbed the information he received and began to formulate his plans. Two children would be born this year at the end of the seventh month. Both families had declined his invitation to join him three times and fought off the attacks that followed their refusal. 'This is it,' he thought to himself. The child destined to destroy him would be a Potter or a Longbottom. But which one should he destroy personally? On one hand the Longbottom were an ancient Pureblood family that had married other Purebloods. The child birthed from the womb of Alice Longbottom would be a powerful Pureblood himself. On the other hand, James Potter also belonged to an ancient Pureblood family but had married a Mudblood in Lily Potter, thus making their children Half-Bloods. Like himself.

"Wormtail!" The Dark Lord barked, startling the Inner Circle members in the room. The sniveling coward of a man hurried into the hall in response to his Master's summons. He half walked, half ran to the feet of the Dark Lord where he kneeled before him and kissed the hem of his robes.

"M-master," Wormtail stuttered as he waited for the Dark Lord to speak.

"Why was I not informed of the Blood-Traitor Potters having a child?" Voldemort asked menacingly, sneering down at the pathetic excuse of a man who had joined his ranks to step out from the large shadows his child hood friends cast.

"My Lord p-p-please, I had not been informed of the news until today," he said pathetically. The Dark Lord had no time for the man's groveling and he let it show.

"_Crucio_," he hissed at Wormtail. The red bolt of energy flew from his yew wand and struck the man in the chest. Wormtail shuddered and writhed on the floor as he suffered under the powerful torture curse of the Dark Lord. What felt like hours but was actually thirty seconds had passed and Lord Voldemort lifted the spell off the writhing mess of limbs. A foul, pungent odor filled the hall as Pettigrew lost control of his bowels. Antonin Dolohov spat on the man from his place at the Dark Lord's left side while Lucius Malfoy sneered at him from the right.

"You are pathetic Wormtail," Voldemort snarled. "You have no real talents other than your uncanny ability to fail repeatedly. If you were not so close to the Potters i would flay you alive and leave your body hanging in the entrance hall. You have one more chance. Fail me again and you will not see the end of the year."

Wormtail was now openly sobbing. "Yes M-m-master, t-thank you." He got up and quickly made his way out of the room.

Lord Voldemort sat back in his throne and contemplated his plans yet again. He would allow the children to be born and lull the families into a false sense of security. Then he would strike. He would kill the children and their families and send a message to the Wizarding World in the process. Lord Voldemort will rule over all.

—

_July 30th 1980 _

The maternal ward at St. Mungo's was once again occupied by the Potters and friends. In one room lay the heavy breathing form of Lily Potter as she was pushing through the pain to meet her second son while once again squeezing her husband's hand to the point that it was already sprained. In the next room over a similar situation was unfolding. Alice Longbottom in the final stage of labor and was about to meet her first child.

An hour later, Frank and Alice Longbottom welcomed Neville Francis into the world and Lily had just birthed Daniel Charlus from her womb. The waiting room jumped for joy as the two children were introduced to the world.

Hiding behind the legs of Lord Sirius black was a small child with a head of messy, jet black hair and piercing emerald green eyes, about to celebrate his third birthday in a mere five hours. Hadrian Potter half the hand of his Godfather as James introduced him to his little brother. The baby boy in James' arms had a bit of dark red hair on his head with the blue eyes all babies are born with. Little Harry peered curiously into the bundle and saw his baby brother for the first time. Harry felt a flurry of emotions fun through him. Awe, love and finally fear. He looked up into his father's eyes with tears brimming his own green orbs.

"You and Mummy won't love him more than me will you?" Harry asked meekly as he looked down at the baby. His father was his hero and he wanted to be just like him when he grew big and tall.

James lifted Harry's head and hazel eyes met green in an intense stare. "Harry your mother and I will love you the same forever. You have nothing to worry about my son." He pulled Harry into a tearful hug, mindful of the newborn as Sirius looked at them with tears in his eyes at the opportunity he had to miss. An attack by Death Eaters in Diagon Alley had left Sirius cursed in the back as the fight dwindled. After two weeks in the hospital and a few close shaves with Death, he had been informed by the Healers that he had been rendered infertile. Though a playboy at heart, the thought that he was unable to sire a child of his own shattered his heart but after Harry was born, he had been brought out of his depression and named Harry his heir. He grew to love the boy as his own.

Because of the prejudice in the Wizarding World, Lily and James were unable to name Remus Lupin as sworn Godfather to Daniel so they had named Frank Longbottom instead. While Peter had been a friend for so long, they all knew he was not responsible enough to care for a child should anything happen to them. At Lily's insistence, Amelia Bones, the youngest Senior Auror in a hundred years was named Godmother to Daniel. Lily and James were named Godparents to Neville.

Both Peter Pettigrew and Albus Dumbledore watched as the babies were passed around and thought of their separate plans. Albus figured now that Daniel and Neville were born, it was time to put both families into hiding to avoid the wrath of Voldemort. Peter on the other hand was thinking about when he could get away to inform his Master and come up with a way to hand the children to him on a silver platter.

—

_October 31st 1981_

The faithful day was here. Wormtail had informed him that the Potters had switched Secret Keepers to him from Sirius Black. They had believed correctly that Black was the most obvious choice to be Secret Keeper of Potter Cottage in Godric's Hollow. When Wormtail had first informed the Dark Lord of the Potters going under the Fidelius Charm and the identity of the Secret Keeper, he had ordered attacks to lure Black to him in order to capture and torture the information from him. Black however proved to be a capable duelist and had escaped each time. Now however, as Lord Voldemort, formerly known as Tom Marvolo Riddle approached the gate leading to Potter Cottage, there was no one to stop him from eliminating the threat to him forever.

He looked in the window and was surprised to see a teenage girl laying on the couch listening to the wireless. A quick _Homenum Revelio _showed only three presences in the home, the teenage girl, obviously a babysitter, and two forms in the nursery. With this revelation, he remembered Wormtail telling him about a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix tonight. He reminded himself to torture Wormtail a bit when he returned for allowing him to forget such a crucial fact.

With that he raised his want and blasted the door off its hinges.

—-

_Hogwarts: Headmaster's Office_

"Before we wrap up this meeting does anyone have anything they would like to add?" Albus Dumbledore asked. The War was not going well for the Light as Tom's forces began to infiltrate the Ministry slowly but surely, and with the capture and not kill order it was impossible to lower Tom's forces. Albus wholeheartedly approved of stunning the enemy and imprisoning them so they could repent and redeem themselves. Others however were not of the same mindset.

"Albus we cannot keep fighting the War like this!" Sirius Black barked. "The Death Eaters are throwing around Killing Curses like they're nothing while we are stunning and binding them only to have them revived and freed a moment later. Please use your power in the Wizengamot to let us fight this War the way it needs to be fought," he finished passionately. A few member like Alastor Moody and Filius Flitwick were nodding along with Sirius while the others were either shaking their heads or looking undecided.

"Alas my boy even if I could, I would not," Dumbledore said. "Everyone deserves a trial and a chance to redeem themselves."

Sirius was about to get up and rage at the old Headmaster when James coughed and quickly decided to change the subject.

"On another note," James began hoping to cut of the Lord Black before he really got going. "Lily, Sirius and I have decided to switch Secret Keepers. As Sirius was the obvious choice, he decided that our friend Peter be Secret Keeper so as to throw the Death Eaters off. Sirius also mentioned that should he be captured he would not be able to divulge the Secret," he finished darkly not liking the idea of his friends being hurt.

He missed Dumbledore's eyes widening as a feeling of pain ripped through his head. James went down to one knee holding head head in pain.

"James!" Lily cried out to her husband and kneeled down beside him. James looked up at everyone with a frantic look in his eyes.

"Albus! The wards have fallen on the cottage. Peter betrayed us. He's there!" James said quickly storming out of the office followed quickly by Sirius and Lily. Albus looked to Fawkes' perch and remembered his Familiar had just gone through his burning day. The Phoenix chick trilled sadly at Albus as the rest of the room jumped into action.

—

_Godric's Hollow: Potter's Cottage_

Lord Voldemort sent a powerful stunner at the young lady who had risen from the couch with her wand drawn. He was not here for her after all and did not feel the need to spill any more Magical blood than would be this night. The girl raised an impressive shield but her power was no match for the Dark Lord. The shield shattered like glass and the stunner collided with her chest sending her into the wall behind her. Lord Voldemort had not broken stride as he made his way up the the nursery containing the two children.

He opened the door to see two boys huddled together. The eldest, no older than four with black messy hair and eyes the color of the Dark Lord's favorite spell, stood defiantly in front of Lord Voldemort tip his younger red headed brother clinging to his back.

"Who are you?" The boy demanded surprising the Dark Lord. He had never faced such determination and protectiveness from one so young.

"I am your reckoning young one," Voldemort hissed softly. "Stand aside and I shall kill you both quickly and painlessly,"

"NO!" The boy yelled as a wave of magic flowed through him. Books and pictures fell off their shelves as the ground shook. The mobile hanging above the youngest's cribs fell and struck the baby in the head leaving a cut on his forehead. Voldemort was shocked to see such power from one so young as he stumbled a few steps back to avoid losing his balance.

"Enough of this!" He yelled shooting a silent _Incarcerous _at the elder child and moving him out of the way. "For that I will kill your brother and make you watch child. Then I will kill you slowly and painfully." The boy glared at the Dark Lord with hatred so intense, it unnerved him. Voldemort stepped back and raised his wand to little Daniel Potter. The Killing curse was on his tongue when he felt another burst of power from young Hadrian. The ropes that tied the boy disintegrated around him as the last syllable left the Dark Lords lips. Hadrian rose and stood in front his baby brother as the sickly green light of the killing curse was hurtling through the air towards him and struck the Potter/Black scion in the chest.

You see Magic is a fickle thing. It is sentient, it is powerful. Over the years many would question what happened this fateful night but none would be correct. Magic itself decided that the love and defiance showed by Hadrian James Potter should be rewarded while the evil twisted magic of Tom Marvolo Riddle be punished. The Fates looked down at this event and intervened, stopping the inevitable and reversing the effects of the curse. It would be many years later that Hadrian Potter would discover that he was blessed by Magic itself.

Voldemort's eyes widened as he saw his curse connect with the child but come flying back in his direction. His moment's hesitation did not low him to move or conjure something to take the brunt of the curse. Instead, the curse struck true and Tom Riddle felt fear and pain as he was ripped unceremoniously from his body. His soul, damaged from the creation of his Horcrux, split from the effects of the curse as a small wraith like form made its way into the cursed scar under the shirt of Hadrian Potter. The larger wraith watched in horror as his body disintegrated and his black cloak fell in a pile in the nursery under his precious wand. Footsteps echoing in the hallway alerted the wraith back to reality as it fled through the shattered window.

Lily and James Potter stormed into the nursery containing their two children and gasped in horror at the carnage that awaited them. Windows were shattered, walls were cracked, books and pictures on the floor, and their two children huddled together on the floor. Little Daniel was crying loudly with blood dripping down his face from a deep gash on his forehead laying his head on his fallen brother. Lily gasped at the sight of her children and quickly scooped up Daniel while James attended to Harry. She sighed in relief as her husband told her that he was simply unconscious.

Albus Dumbledore arrived on scene next followed closely by Sirius Black. Upon seeing the damage of the nursery from the outside he turned to Sirius.

"My boy I need you stay downstairs or outside," he began calmly. When Sirius was about to object he continued, "We do not know what the damage would be nor if any others are around. Use the Floo and contact your colleagues in the Auror Office and stand guard."

While Sirius wanted nothing more than to check on his Godson he knew the Headmaster was correct. The DMLE needed to know what happened and he would guard this house from the Devil himself should he come. He nodded and went the the fireplace as Albus climbed the stairs to see Lily holding Daniel while James was waving his wand over a downed Hadrian.

He looked to Daniel and his eyes widened as he saw the cut on his forehead. He went to heal it only to find that the scar formed would not fade. The amount of Dark Magic in the room saw to that. He knelt down to help James with Harry, casting his most comprehensive diagnostic charm he had in his arsenal. He found a sight that shocked him to his core. Young Harry's Magical Core was astonishingly massive. The largest he had ever seen in one so young. He looked between both Potter children and a plan formed in his mind. He knew the Aurors taught diagnostic charms that helped with injuries but nothing this in-depth. With Daniel carrying the cursed scar, he must be one that would eliminate Voldemort should he ever return. It would not due to have an exceedingly powerful brother to take the limelight away from him. Nor would it be good if said older brother fell to Dark Arts. With the magic he had available to him he could be far worse than Tom and Gellert. So he made his decision.

As James felt Harry would be in good hands with Albus checking him he moved to stand by Lily's side as she cleaned the blood off of Danny's face. They did not notice Albus point his wand at Harry and cast three of the most powerful binds on his Magical Core. He stood up and looked at the Potters sadly.

"Lily, James I am afraid I have some bad news," he began gravely. Before he could continue however, Lily burst into tears.

"No! Don't tell me our son is dead!" She gasped beginning to hyperventilate.

"Lily Harry is alive. However whatever happened here tonight severely damaged his Magical Core," Albus went on raising his Occlumency shields to keep his face from showing any deceit. "Hadrian now has the Magical reserves equal to a squib."

Both Lily and James sighed in relief at that information. Albus was surprised but did not show it. Many Pureblood families, including the Potters of generations past, would sire squibs and give them up without a care in the world. That is what he needed done.

"I know this will be difficult for you but I would suggest sending Harry away to live with your sister," Albus said looking at Lily. "Daniel bears a scar from the Killing Curse cast from Voldemort himself. He is the Child of Prophecy. The Boy Who Lived. If Harry was discovered to be his brother and a squib at that he would be in terrible danger from Voldemort and his followers."

James looked at Albus with fury in his eyes. "How could you suggest such a thing Albus? He is my eldest son! I will not be sending him away to a family that hates all things that are not normal," James practically spat the last word his eyes brimming with tears.

"Alas James, Harry barely has a Magical Core," Dumbledore began. "Think of everything that will happen in the coming years. Daniel will be known to every Magical in the world as the one who vanquished Voldemort. If Harry was still here he would be in grave danger without the ability to defend himself. The safest thing for him would be to live in the Muggle world and forget about Magic. I know what I ask is difficult and painful but for his own safety he should not in our world," he finished passionately allowing a tear to be shed from his blue eyes as he watched James and Lily look at each other seemingly coming to a decision.

"What would we tell everyone?" Lily asked in a broken voice. James was looking down in pain has tears streamed down his face.

"I believe it would be best if the world believed that Harry had died tonight," Albus said sadly. Watching James and Lily flinch at the though of losing a child to death. "If it was said that he had perished, he would be that much safer."

James and Lily were crying unashamedly at the entire situation but the lack of any other idea to ensure their child's safety was the cause for them to agree. Albus looked to them sadly while inwardly he smiled triumphantly.

"I will take Harry to Petunia's tomorrow morning after we visit Poppy at Hogwarts," he lied smoothly. He had no intention of taking him to Poppy as his binds would be discovered and the boy was healthy anyway. "Please grieve for him and take as much time as you need." He picked Harry up and turned on the spot Disapparating from the cottage.

Hearing the crack Sirius rushed upstairs, leaving Amelia Bones to watch the house. He walked into the room and saw James and Lily sobbing uncontrollably in each others arms with Daniel in between them. His Godson was no where to be seen.

"Prongs what happened? Where's Albus? Where's Harry?" He rapidly asked. He looked around the room quickly not seeing Harry anywhere. He looked back to James and Lily and felt his heart sink. "No. No no no no. Don't you say it. Don't you fucking say it." Lily couldn't even scold him for his language as she just cried harder. Sirius closed his eyes and used his Occlumency to reach into his Magic to feel for his Godson's. As sworn Godfather, he would able to feel it. To his dismay he felt nothing. No sign of Harry;s Magic. No sign of the boy who made Sirius so happy, the only person who could cheer him up after a particularly hard day at work was gone.

It was at this moment that Sirius Black's heart broke. His wand fell from his grasp as he fell to his knees in the nursery that was his Godson's and Daniel's. He couldnt breathe. His lungs were heaving but he felt no air going through him. He crawled to Harry's bed where his favorite stuffed animal stood tall and proud on his pillow. A large black dog. Sirius climbed up to sit on the bed grabbed the toy and held it to his chest like a lifeline. It was then that Sirius' tears began to fall.

He barely stopped sobbing for days. He did not hear when Lily and James left to take Daniel to the reinforced Potter Manor, he didn't hear a word that was said at Harry's funeral, nor did he hear a word that was said at the Order meeting a few days later. For all intents and purposes, Sirius Black was broken. With Voldemort gone, the Auror office was quiet as they began rounding up Death Eaters and putting them on trial. Sirius used his tockpiled vacation time to take a few months off. He wallowed, he cried, he drank but he could not get the Harry out of his head.

Across the country in Surrey, a young boy lay on his lumpy mattress in his bedroom. He called it a bedroom, others would call it a cupboard under the stairs. He let his tears fall as he remembered his family. Daniel his adorable baby brother, his strong father and beautiful mother. He especially missed his uncle Siri, or as he preferred to be called Padfoot. Poor Harry could only say Pa'foo. He missed them all so much. He wanted to see them one last time and tell them that he was sorry for whatever he had done for them to send him here. The people he lived with didn't call him Harry, or Love, or Kiddo. They called him Freak and Boy! They never used his real name. It was this thought that Harry went to sleep with wondering what he had done to make it all go wrong.

—

A/N Hey all thanks for reading. I'll try to update as much as I can. I know in some spots we move slowly and other we fly by but I hope to sustain a good pace for the story.

Please rate and review


	3. Chapter 3: Alone and Afraid

A/N: The majority of this chapter will contain extremely dark themes as I intend to show Harry's childhood with the Dursley's. This chapter may be tough to read but it all goes into Harry's development for later in the story. This chapter will be filled with child abuse, torture, and attempted suicide. You have been warned.

Chapter 3: Alone and Afraid

_June 23rd 1984_

Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.* The normalcy they showed to the public was a mask that hid true evil. Petunia Dursley née Evans grew up with feelings of hate, jealously and spite predominant in her youth. After he freak of a sister was declared a witch and went off to that freakish school, she had been left behind to live a mundane life. Not that she minded that anymore mind you. She loved her husband, Vernon, who was a successful employee at Grunnings Drill Manufacturers, and her little Dudley had just turned four! She was so proud of her family and lived the perfect life. Well, _almost _perfect. If it wasn't for that Potter spawn she would be the happiest woman in the world but no. That ancient man Bumble-bore or something like that had dropped the boy off in the middle of the night almost three years ago. He had left a letter with the child saying that young Harry was normal like them and required a normal house to grow up in. He could not have been more wrong.

Four months after Harry had arrived, early 1983, he had been caught trying to levitate a spider while he was in the solitude of his cupboard. He had done it before when he lived with his Mummy and Daddy, but he couldn't do it now and for the life of him he did not know why. Vernon had opened the door to allow Harry to cook their evening meal and saw what he was attempting. That night was the first of many in which Harry had gone to sleep with a black eye and a split lip.

While the Dursley's projected an air of normalcy, anyone with a brain and who looked closely could see that they were in fact sick, disgraceful human beings. After the first beating, Vernon seemed to be looking for reasons to hurt young Harry. Whether it be burnt breakfast, or even walking into him in the hallways, Vernon never hesitated to put the 'freak' in his place. Vernon had also noticed that after hurting the child, he would often be aroused, leading to him often slapping the boy and then dragging Petunia upstairs for a quick romp in the sack. Petunia seemed to get off on it as well and despite the significant weight difference between husband and wife, she would swear the sex after inflicting pain on Harry was the best of her life! The technical term for Vernon and Petunia's preferences is called sadism, but they would never admit to being different in any way.

It was on this day, June 23rd 1984, where the occasional beating increased in both frequency and pain.

Hadrian Potter had woken up to the incessant banging on his cupboard door courtesy of his Aunt. He knew today was their precious Dudley's fourth birthday and he was required to make the proverbial breakfast feast for the family and leave them alone for the rest of the day. Naturally he would get the bare minimum of the food that he would be forced to cook for his relatives. Young Harry did not see the Dursley's as his family, they were merely his relatives who had taken him in for one reason or another. He knew his real family was out there somewhere but he didn't know where he could find them. Harry knew his birthday was coming up and was a little apprehensive about it. His first birthday and Christmas he had received a gift from his parents, but four his sixth birthday he had received nothing. The same was said for that Christmas as well.

It was with that morose thought that Harry had wrested himself from the grips of Morpheus and made his way into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. All had gone normally as he cooked three-quarters of it easily by the time Uncle Vernon had come down with Dudley in his arms. Vernon had been showing his son his obscenely large pile of presents when Harry got distracted and looked on in anger and disgust. He did not notice until it was too late that he had brunt the bacon.

"BOY!" He heard his Aunt Petunia shrieked in his ear before the feeling of metal hitting his skull took over his world as pain flowed through him. "You burnt Diddykin's breakfast!" She screamed even louder. Or perhaps it just sounded louder through the pain he felt in his skull.

"Dudley go upstairs to your room please while we talk to the freak,: Vernon said in a deceptively calm voice. Dudley had started wailing incessantly when he heard his precious food had been burnt. Though he was only four, the youngest Dursley already weighed as much as Harry did. Harry had managed to sit up, holding the back of his head. He could feel the warm trickle of blood flow through his fingers as silent tears streamed down his face. He watched as his Uncle Vernon stood up and undid his overly large belt and place it on the table as he stalked towards the downed child.

"You always find a way to ruin things don't you freak?" Vernon asked menacingly. "Always have to be the bane of our existence don't you? Well I'll show you." With one meaty claw, Vernon pulled Harry upright by the scruff of his shirt, an old musty shirt of Vernon's that had been boxed up when he outgrew them, and ripped it off his body. As he turned around to give. The boy his first ever belting he noticed the grease in the pan still bubbling. With a sadistic smile, he grasped the frying pan and poured it on the shoulder of Harry Potter.

The scream that tore through Harry's throat was torturous. It was more pain than he ever remembered feeling. The grease rolled down his arm and covered part of his left pectoral inches away from the lightning bolt scar at the center of his chest. Vernon then turned him around grabbed his belt and began swinging wildly at the boy's back. Ten lashes, twenty lashes, then finally thirty lashes later and Vernon stopped breathing heavily with a conspicuous bulge in his pants. He grabbed the sobbing boy by the hair and threw him into the cupboard under the stairs and walked to his wife already unbuckling his pants.

Harry lay on his stomach in his cupboard sobbing his heart out until sleep finally claimed him. It was as he slept, that a weak blue light surrounded the young boy and enveloped him in its warm embrace. You see, by all accounts, Harry Potter should have died that night. The impact of the frying pan over his head, and his head against the tile of the kitchen floor had given him a rather severe concussion, causing blood vessels in his brain to rupture. However, his magic, though effectively bound, began to leak out and save his life from certain death. The gashes on his back were beginning to heal at a slow pace, but the scars that form would be permanent.

Soon after Harry succumbed to Morpheus, a young man stopped in the middle of the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic and grabbed his chest and gasped. Sirius Black felt a strange bit of magic flow through him and was perplexed as to the source of it. He dove deep down to see his Magical Core and felt for the foreign magic. It was small, but there in an dark green, almost black color. One would think that a black spot of magic one ones core would be a cause for panic but all Sirius felt was love coming from it. He did not know what it was but he damn sure find out.

—

_December 25th 1984_

Harry was in a strange mood on Christmas Day. He was apprehensive and dare he say it? Happy? He had woken up this morning on his own accord and was not forced to cook anything. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. He was sad though because he had not received any presents for the second year in a row, he did not know that in a manor somewhere in Wales a loving family celebrated Christmas together having completely forgotten their eldest son.

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had been surprisingly civil that day despite the lashing he got the week before. He had finally managed to make a spider float! Despite the twenty lashes he got from Uncle Vernon, he was ecstatic he remembered how to do the impossible. He remembered making Pa'foo float into his bed when he still lived with his parents but could not figure out why a spider was so difficult. He had managed to retain how he did it and replicated with all the spiders in his cupboard one night with surprising accuracy and control.

Just after breakfast Uncle Vernon stopped Harry in the hallway. When Harry felt the meaty hand of his Uncle on his shoulder he had immediately stiffened and braced himself for pain. Uncle Vernon however looked at Harry and said, "We have a special surprise planned for you later Harry, go get your best clothes on and prepare yourself." Harry looked up to his Uncle in surprise before a large smile split his face. 'Maybe I'll get a present!' Harry thought to himself, missing the evil glint sparkle in Vernon's eyes.

At precisely five that evening, Harry stood in the sitting room of number four, Privet Drive along with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. A single chair sat in the middle of the room with a long thin package resting on it.

"Go on Harry, sit and open it," his Aunt requested in a soft voice. Harry could see the anticipation in her eyes and felt elated that he had gotten a present from them. He sat on the chair and unwrapped his gift. When he took the lid off the box he looked inside to see a long thin piece of metal with a Christian cross at the end of it. Harry looked up confused before he realized Aunt Petunia had moved behind him. She threw a length of rope around him and tied him firmly to the chair with his arms by his side. Harry struggled to get free but could barely move himself. He watched as Uncle Vernon grabbed the metal and put the end with the cross in the fire. That was the moment Harry figured out hat was happening.

"You see boy, we have had enough of your freakishness and we are going to stamp it our of you if it is the last thing we do," Uncle Vernon declared looking at Harry with disgust as the seven year old struggled against his bonds fruitlessly.

Ten minutes later Harry was sobbing again in his cupboard with a new token of his relative's love for him. A Christian Cross branded over his heart.

—

_August 1 1985_

It was the late hours of August first when eight year old Harry made a decision. He just did not care about anything. Though he was eight, he was well below the average weight for someone his age and his vertical growth had been stunted as well. His green eyes held a haunted look to them as he recalled the last year and a half. His beatings continued, some were rather tame while others were beyond harsh. His torso and back were riddled with scars and tissue damage from burns and the such. When his lashings with the belt became boring for Uncle Vernon, he had taken to leaving cuts along Harry's emaciated body.

Earlier in the day when Harry was using the loo, he was looking through the medicine cabinet for a pain reliever when he came across his saving grace. His Uncle believed that a man should shave with a single straight edge razor, and there at the bottom of the medicine cabinet was a replacement blade. Harry looked at it and relived the last year and a half again.

Another birthday had gone by and he had not received a present or even a word from his real family. In his bones, who knew they were alive and well. He did not know how he knew but he did. 'Why hasn't anyone come to see me?' He though morosely to himself. His depression knew no bounds as he picked up the razor and snuck it down into his cupboard. That night Harry Potter aged eight and feeling completely abandoned and broken, tried to end his suffering.

—

(A/N: Done with the dark and disturbing subjects for the chapter. Thanks for sticking by as I hope to get into a much happier place by the end.)

_October 5th 1985_

Harry had had enough. Enough of the beatings, enough of the table scraps, and enough of the mistreatment. Since his birthday he had been going through the pockets of his Uncle's dirty pants and taking any money he happened to find. Since nobody but him entered his cupboard, he hid the cash in a hoe he had cut into his lump mattress. He had accumulated about £300 by the time October came around. Of course to an eight year old, £300 seemed like a fortune.

'Today is the day I leave this place for good,' Harry thought to himself. He packed up what little belongings he owned, which consisted only of a few change of clothes into an old rucksack and waited for the night to fall.

Eleven o'clock finally came and he put his hand against the door near the deadbolt that locked his cupboard door. He felt the warmth flow through his veins as he had so many times when he was hurt or trying to make objects float. He closed his eyes and willed for the deadbolt to move itself and unlock the door. After hearing the satisfying click of the deadbolt, he opened his eyes, gathered his things and left number four Privet Drive for the last time.

—

_October 10th 1985_

Sirius Black was annoyed. It was a Saturday afternoon and he was standing aimlessly in a muggle supermarket when he'd rather be at the office going through his cases. After the night of October 31st 1981, Sirius threw himself into his work. This was of course, after he had taken a very long vacation to deal with the death of his Godson. At the age of twenty-six Sirius Black was the youngest Head Auror in the history of the Ministry of Magic. His work was paramount in his life. He had less contact with Lily, Prongs and Moony over the years as he focused on his work and completely change his personality as a result. Gone was the fun-loving playboy who would shag anything in a skirt, gone was the immature Marauder who lived to prank others, and in his place was Lord Sirius Orion Black, Head Auror and all around hard ass.

He did not know why he was in this market, only that it felt like he had to be there, like his Magic was pulling him there. He was unaware that Magic had brought him there to help fulfill the Oath that Charlus Potter and Arcturus Black had made each other fourth years before.

Sirius turned into the next aisle when he bumped into a very small figure and sprawled the child onto the ground.

"I'm sorry lad, are you o..." he trailed off after regaining his balance and looking at his victim closely.

It was a young boy. The child looked to be about six or seven and had a mop of messy black hair and deep emerald green eyes. Sirius had seen those eyes on only two people in his life and he was left speechless as the child looked up at him. Sirius noticed the boy's clothes were rather large on him and his glasses had been broken many times as evident from the tape around their bridge.

"I'm sorry sir I wasn't watching where I was going," the boy said to him meekly. He kept his head down as he spoke avoiding eye contact with Sirius.

Sirius only stared at the boy with his mouth agape hoping beyond hope that his was who he though it was. But that was impossible wasn't it? Hadrian had been killed almost four years before so this carbon copy of Prongs with Lily's eyes could not be who he hoped it was. Sirius shook his head and cleared his thoughts before offering his hand to the child to help him up.

"It's ok lad. I wasn't watching where I was going myself. Are you ok?" Sirius asked concerned as he noticed the boy flinch before taking his proffered hand and let Sirius help him to his feet. Sirius flexed his hand after letting go feeling as if a large flow of magic had jut gone through it.

"I'm fine sir, thank you," the boy replied before turning to leave.

"Wait!" Sirius called out to him, his long strides catching up to the smaller boy in no time and put his hand on his shoulder. "Where are your parents? Do you need help finding them?"

Harry stiffened at the contact and stood stock still at the mention of his parents. Harry had developed a fear and mistrust of adults due to his relatives and teachers at school who berated him for slandering the Dursley name when he had mentioned his mistreatment. But for some strange reason that Harry could not fathom, he felt he could trust this stranger. This stranger with black hair and familiar gray eyes.

Sirius noticed the boy stiffen at his contact and quickly removed his hand. He did not want to frighten the child after all. "What's your name?" He asked gently.

Harry gulped and said, "Harry, but my relatives call me Freak."

Emotions flew through Sirius Black at the speed of light. Sadness, hope, elation followed quickly by anger, disgust and rage. He say Harry's eyes widen in fear and quickly closed his eyes to control his emotions. He opened them again and was relieved to see the fear in Harry's eyes had disappeared and was replaced by apprehension. Sirius took in a deep breath before speaking again.

"Hello Harry, my name is Sirius. Who are these relatives you mentioned?" Sirius asked, his Occlumency working overtime to control his emotions.

"My Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia," Harry replied. "But they don't like me very much." He finished sadly.

Sirius had to close his eyes again as he processed this new information. Hadrian Potter, heir to the Ancient and Most Noble Houses of Potter and Black, was raised with the worst sort of Muggles imaginable. He was seething inside as he remembered James and Lily's wedding and the only time he had the "pleasure" of meeting them. He didn't want to even think about what Harry had gone through living in that house.

"Harry, what would you do if I told you that I am the Godfather to a young boy named Hadrian James Potter? And that young boy was born on July 31st, 1977? And that I thought you have been dead these last four years?" Sirius asked as he opened his eyes. A tear fell from his left eye as he looked at Harry with an expression Harry had not seen in a very long time.

Harry looked at Sirius with wide eyes as his brain worked to remember where he had seen this man before. Memories rushed to him at once. Memories of his life before the Dursley's. But what jostled the correct memory from Harry's brain was the kind gray eyes staring back at him, bright with tears. The gray eyes of a large black dog that would bark happily whenever it saw Harry. Gray eyes that would remain despite the dog morphing into a man before his very eyes all those years ago.

"Pa'foo?" Harry asked as his eyes starting to water while staring at the one adult he felt he could trust.

Sirius' smile could have lit up the darkest cell in Azkaban at that point. He nodded at Harry, smiling through his tears and opened his arms slightly showing Harry that it was up to him what he did next. Harry didn't disappoint as he launched himself into his Godfather's arms and for the first time in over a year, cried. Only this time, his tears were happy.

"Harry I would very much like it if you came to live with me," Sirius said hoping beyond hope that Harry would accept.

"How big is your house?" Harry asked him making Sirius frown in response.

"It's a modest home Harry, plenty of room for the both of us," he responded brightly, hoping he would not be put off from living in Black Cottage in Dartmoor. "Why do you ask?"

"Will I have to clean it all by myself?" Harry asked morosely. Sirius' anger jumped quite a few notches. 'Those damned Dursleys,' he thought to himself as he quickly suppressed his anger so as to not frighten Harry away.

"Listen to me very carefully Harry," Sirius said sternly, noticing how Harry had tried to take a step back from his tone. "If you come live with me you will never have to do those chores again. If you come with me I will treat you as if you are my own flesh and blood. If you do something wrong I will punish you but the punishment will suit the crime. I will _NEVER _hurt you. I will do my very best to give you all the love and affection you deserve and you will be my son in all but blood," he finished earnestly, his eyes shining in an intensity they had not in many years.

Harry looked at those blazing gray eyes searching for any sign of deceit but to his surprise he could see only love and honesty. He smiled shyly at Sirius and nodded his head. While not knowing Sirius at all really, he felt almost compelled to trust him. 'And hey it cant be any worse than the Dursley's,' he thought.

Sirius smiled brightly again and held out his hand to Harry and he took it after the slightest hesitation. Sirius walked them to a part of the store out of the way and out of sight.

"Hold on tightly to my arm and focus on coming with me," Sirius said. "I'm doing to side-along Apparate you to our home but its going to be very uncomfortable for you, it being your first time and all. Almost like being sucked through a small tube." Harry nodded showing he understood while his heart was jumping for joy when he said "our home".

With a small _pop _and a sensation eerily similar to what Sirius had described, Harry next found himself looking at a very handsome two story house with a front porch. He looked around taking in his surroundings and seeing a two bay garage with a car in one port and a rather nice motorcycle in the other. They entered the home, (Harry realized later that he had already considered this house as his home more than he ever did regarding Privet Drive) and began the tour of the house.

The ground floor of the house was quite spacious consisting of a sitting room with a large fireplace, a cozy kitchen/dining room, a loo, and a small library with spellbooks and what Sirius called the Black Anybook. Apparently Sirius was the Head and Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. He told Harry all about the properties he owned including the townhouse in London that contained the entirety of the Black Family Library but he preferred living in what he dubbed Black Cottage. Harry noticed the disdain that dripped from Sirius' lips when he mentioned 12 Grimmauld place so decided to not ask question about it.

The entirety of the basement was considered the practice room. Magically expanded to be much larger than it should have been, the room was beautifully made with gleaming black stone walls that looked almost as if they were pulsating. Training dummies, both Magical and muggle lined the far walls while on the wall closest to the door held various weapons. Various muggle exercise equipment were neatly organized on the other side of the room. Harry looked to Sirius with a raised eyebrow and Sirius merely smiled, shrugged sheepishly and said, "Women love muscles." He winked and Harry giggled at him.

The second floor consisted of the master bedroom and en suite bath. Another door in the bedroom led to a moderately sized study where Sirius worked on his cases and paperwork when not at the office. Another fireplace adorned the wall that Sirius mentioned was his private floo. There was a guest bedroom adjacent to the master bedroom. The tour was just coming to an end when they reached the last door across the hall from Sirius' room. Harry noted that Sirius looked a bit nervous.

"This room has been empty since I moved in. I kept trying to come up with ideas of it but I always decided against it at the last minute. This will be your room if you like Harry. I can magically add a bathroom and attach it for you," Sirius said before he opened the door.

Harry was surprised to see the room. It was not overly large nor small. Just perfect for him. The walls were painted a deep green color that suited him well and there was plenty of room for a large bed, desk and chair, and even a small bookcase. We was pulled out of his planning when Sirius spoke.

"I was thinking that we could go shopping tomorrow for furniture and everything. We definitely need to get you some clothes. We can't have the Heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black dressed in those rags can we?" He asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Heir?" Harry asked confused.

"Ah yes I forgot. I was in an accident a few years back that left me unable to have any children of my own. When you were born, you brought so much joy into my life and I named you Heir Black. Is that ok?" He asked worriedly, hoping not to scare him off. Harry surprised him by wrapping his arms around Sirius' waist and pulling him into a hug.

Tears filled the eyes of the both of them. "Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you," Harry said emotionally. Sirius sniffled and pulled away holding Harry at arms length and crouched down.

"Remember Harry, I will treat you like the son I will never have. I will love and protect you with every fiber of my being," Sirius said bringing his hands to cup Harry's almost gaunt face, which reminded him...

"Harry...would it be alright if I called my cousin over today?" Sirius asked gauging his reaction. "She works as a Healer, like a Muggle doctor. I want her to check you out and make sure you're as healthy as can be."

Harry paused at this. He knew from his gut that he could trust Sirius but could he trust anyone else? Between his former living environment and the teachers who disregarded his pleas for help, his ability to trust adults was almost nonexistent. Harry voiced his inner thoughts.

"Do you trust her Padfoot?" Harry asked nervously. Sirius' face broke out into a smile when Harry used his Marauder name.

"Yes Pup I do. I won't let anything happen to you but I need to make sure your healthy first. Do you know if you've had your inoculations?" Sirius asked.

"My what?" A confused Harry replied.

"Your shots. Medicine to make sure you don't get sick," he clarified.

"I don't think so. I've never been to a doctor before," Harry said meekly hoping he hadn't done anything wrong.

Sirius huffed and started pacing and muttering under his breath. Harry thought he caught the words "bastards" and "inhumane" but he couldn't be sure. It was a few moments before Sirius was able to calm himself.

"Ok. Harry we need to get you these medications. They will prevent you from getting sick with Wizarding diseases and Muggle illnesses. While Andi is here she'll give you a full check-up and we'll fix anything those relatives of yours did ok?" Sirius finished in a pleading voice hoping Harry would accept his help.

Harry hesitated for a second before nodding his acceptance to Sirius. Sirius turned to leave the room and head fo his office to use the floo.

"Tonks Residence," Sirius said in a clear concise voice kneeling down and throwing a handful of powder into the fireplace. The flames turned green and Sirius stuck his head through to see a very clean sitting room that was similar to a Muggle living room. "Andi? Andi are you home?" He called out to the empty room.

It was then that a young girl with vibrant pink hair came skipping into the room. She took a look into the fire to see who had called only for her face to split into a wide grin upon seeing Sirius' floating head. "Siri!" She called out loudly and went to greet her second cousin.

"Hello Nymphadora," He said smiling widely and ignoring the cute scowl she adopted after hearing her first name. "If you Mum home? I need to ask her for a favor."

Nymphadora smiled evilly at Sirius before leaning in close to his head and screaming, "MUUUUUM!" She laughed loudly seeing Sirius flinch and cradle his ears.

Andromeda Tonks née Black came running into the room, wand drawn after hearing her daughter scream only to see her rolling on the ground laughing hysterically as her favorite cousin Sirius was awaiting her in the floo.

"Nymphadora! Don't do that to me, you scared me half to death," she said exasperated at her daughter's antics. "Siri! How nice to see you again cousin. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Andi you're looking as radiant as always," he responded with a roguish grin. His face quickly sobered up however as he got to the gist of his call. "I need you to come to Black Cottage for a medical check-up if you're free."

"What happened? Are you ok Siri?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm fine Andi," he said quick to reassure her. "I have a ward who is need of a check-up and full inoculation."

She let out a breath of relief before turning back to Sirius. "Ted is at work, is it ok if I bring Nymphadora along with me?"

Sirius took a minute to think about before agreeing and opening the floo connection to allow them through. After they made their way through and into the hallway, Sirius stopped them before opening the door to Harry's room.

"Andi I'm afraid I am going to need your Healer's Oath to be in full affect. Nobody but you and your family can know about who is on the other side of this door. Not the Head Healer at St. Mungo's, not Albus Dumbledore, not even the Minister of Magic. Do you understand? I am invoking the Black Family Magics to keep this a Black secret for the time being," Sirius said, well seriously. Andromeda's eyes widened as she grew curious as to whom she was helping.

"Of course Lord Black," Andi said, curtsying formally to show that she understood the seriousness of what was about to happen. She nudged her daughter slightly and Nymphadora copied her actions and words. They both felt the Black Family Magic's rush over them.

Sirius knocked twice and slowly opened the door to see Harry standing by the window looking over the grounds. Harry turned to look at the new occupants of the room and Andromeda gasped loudly and dropped her medical bag as her hand went to her mouth. Sirius moved to the boy's side and bent down to whisper in his ear. He stood and moved behind him to place both hands on Harry's shoulders.

" Andromeda and Nymphadora Tonks, may I introduce you to my Godson and Heir, Hadrian James Potter of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter. Hadrian this Andromeda Tonks née Black and her daughter Nymphadora," Sirius said in a formal voice.

Harry went up to each of the ladies shyly and offered his hand to them. He saw the pink haired girl had widened her eyes comically throughout Sirius' introductions. She numbly shook his hand as did the older woman in the room. Harry stepped back towards Sirius' side and noticed the two females were still frozen where they stood.

Andromeda was shocked upon hearing Siri's revelation. Hadrian Potter was alive? Everyone knew the Dark Lord killed him almost four years ago but here he stood in front of her. With that messy mop of raven hair and those emerald green eyes, she knew it was really him. She couldn't fathom how it was possible. Those were the last thoughts that ran through her mind as, for the first time in her life, Andromeda Tonks fainted.

—

A/N: I hope I ended the chapter on a good spot. I don't want to make my chapters too long or too short and it's difficult to tell at times because I don't have word count on my iPad. Anyways I hope you enjoyed it! Please rate and review!


	4. Chapter 4: Nymphadora

A/N: Hey all welcome back! Firstly I forgot to put a note in the second author's note regarding an asterisk I put in while introducing the Dursley's. The line I first introduced them with was taken from The Philosopher's Stone.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

—

Chapter 4: Nymphadora

Andromeda Tonks groaned as she opened her eyes. As she was coming to, she felt the coolness of a damp cloth that had been draped over her forehead. She sat up slowly, ignoring the bout of dizziness and nausea that struck and looked around the room to see her favorite cousin Sirius looking at her with a mixture of concern and amusement.

"Well that went better than I expected," he remarked. "Weren't you supposed to be the one doing the healing?" He finished cheekily, sporting a lopsided grin that she had not seen for many years. She smiled slightly, noticing that Sirius looked a lot younger with that smile on his face.

"Where are the children?" She asked.

"Upstairs getting to know each other. Hadrian seemed quite concerned for you. Are you sure you're alright?" This time his concern was outweighing his amusement. As Lord Black, one of his primary objectives in life was the well-being and success of those in his family. And as far as he was concerned, Andromeda, who was reinstated into the Black Family shortly after Sirius took up his Lordship, was more like an older sister to him.

Andi nodded at Sirius while still smiling and said, "Well let's go see the kids shall we?"

—-

While Andromeda was recovering and being watched over by Sirius, a semi-awkward silence had fallen over the two children who had not left Harry's future room. Though Harry was only eight, he could not help but think that the girl standing across from him was cute and would be a real beauty in a few years time. Unbeknownst to him, a similar thought was running through the nine year old's head. She looked at him intently. She too thought he would be a lady-killer in a few years. A little scrawny sure, but with eyes like those any girl would be lost in them. As if they both had the same thought at the same time, both youngsters flushed red and Harry was shocked that her hair had changed from the vibrant pink, to a deep red.

"What? How did you do that?" Asked an astounded Harry Potter. Sure he knew a lot about magic from his own little experiments, but he had never seen anything like that before. He was amazed.

Nymphadora noticed he was looking at her hair and scrunched her face in concentration to return it back to her favorite pink. "Sorry about that, the name's Tonks and I'm a Metamorphmagus," she said brightly. Seeing his look of confusion she decided to elaborate. "That means I could change my appearance at will to almost anything I want!"

The confusion quickly left Harry's face and was replaced with a look of awe. "That's bloody brilliant," he responded in almost a whisper.

Tonks waited a moment or so before saying, "Well aren't you gonna introduce yourself? I mean, I know Cousin Siri already did but it is polite y'know." Harry looked down and blushed at that. He took a moment to regain his composure before offering his hand with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry about that, my name is Harry Potter. I mean I guess it's actually Hadrian but you can call me Harry if you'd like," Harry said. She smiled and grabbed his hand shaking it excessively causing them both to laugh.

The ended up passing the time by sitting shoulder to shoulder on the ground with their backs against the wall. The talked about everything they could. Tonks had excitedly gushed about going to Hogwarts and being there together for almost the entire time together. Harry was unsure of what Hogwarts was but enjoyed his new friend talk happily about it so he just listened with a smile. Tonks mentioned parts of her childhood to him and he adopted a wistful expression. When talk turned to his childhood he immediately stiffened. Tonks felt Harrys shift in posture and looked to him curiously.

"I don't want to talk about my family. All I know is that my parents gave me to my Aunt and Uncle where they did not like me. I stayed there for four years before finding Sirius and here we are now. Please lets talk about something else," Harry said almost emotionlessly until the last sentence where he spoke in a pleading tone. Tonks took this to heart and decided to respect his wishes. She decided that Harry was now her best friend and she wouldn't let anything bad happen to him. They continued talking for another half-hour before a knock on the door interrupted them.

"Hey kiddos can we come in?" Sirius asked after poking his head in. Seeing their nods, he pushed the door open to admit himself and a rather pale, but otherwise healthy Andromeda Tonks. Tonks jumped up to embrace her mother while Harry stood to stand beside Sirius. Andromeda took a deep breath before turning to Harry.

"Hadrian... I'm terribly sorry for my reaction earlier. I must admit that it was a surprise to see you. As Sirius told you my name is Andromeda Tonks, but I would be delighted if you called me Andi," she said with a kind smile.

As far as Harry thought back, he could not remember a time where he had been talked to as kindly as Andi and Sirius had. Sirius spoke to him like a normal person. He was not belittled nor yelled at. He was treated with respect and love. Andi spoke to him like an adult would comfort a child. Harry had to take a moment to regain control of his emotions, lest he make a fool of himself. '_I will not show weakness' _he thought to himself.

"It's nice to meet you Andi. Would you please call me Harry?" He replied.

"Of course dear," she said smiling. Harry thought the smile enhanced her features and recognized that Andi was an extremely beautiful woman. Naturally he blushed while internally chastising himself.

Andi noticed his blush and let out a musical laugh as Tonks giggled at him. His face only reddened further.

Sirius decided to put Harry out of his misery by clearing his throat and bringing them back to the reason they were all there.

"Yes, well now that introductions have been made shall we get back to the matter at hand? I would hate to take up anymore of your time Andi," Sirius stated.

"Nonsense Siri I have the day off from St. Mungo's," she replied. She then turned her attention to the youngest in the room. "Now Harry I would like to do a routine examination and then give you the vaccinations you should have received years ago. I will also run a diagnostic charm over you to make sure your Magic is healthy and adapting as it should be. Lastly, I think it would be wise if we put you on a nutrient potion regiment so you should be able to grow to the height and weight you should be at provided you keep healthy. Now let's get started shall we?" She conjured a hospital bed with her wand and gestured to it. "Up you go and off with your shirt."

Harry froze halfway to the bed and turned to Andi with panic written across his face. Andi saw this and the bright smile she wore immediately vanished. She crouched low to him and draped her arm over his shoulder noting that he stiffened even more. She looked him in the eyes and radiated compassion through them before whispering, "What is it Harry? Are you alright?"

"I don't want them to see," he replied shakily. His breathing started to change as it became quick and shallow, almost as if he was on the verge of a panic attack.

"See what dear?" She asked kindly.

"My scars," he breathed barely a whisper that only Andi was able to pick up. She was forced to take a few breaths before her anger overcame her.

"As a Healer, my primary concern is my patient's well being," And started. "I will do whatever it takes to make sure you are healthy. If you do not feel comfortable with others in the room for your examination I will ask them to leave. While I think Sirius should stay in the room, if you'd rather no one see than it is up to you entirely," she finished gently caressing his cheek. "Tell me Harry would you like me to ask them to leave?"

Andi prided herself in her ability in the Mind Arts. As a member of House Black, she and her cousins were forced to go through extensive training in Occlumency so no one could pluck family secrets from their heads. When she graduated from Hogwarts, she decided to take the next step and study Legilimency and became proficient in that as well. A gentle mind probe toward Harry told her all she needed to know. She saw the turmoil in his eyes. He clearly wanted them to leave for his exam, but he did not want to upset his first friend or his Godfather, the man who rescued him from Hell. His Magic was telling him to trust them, Sirius especially, but his brain could not bear it for them to see his ultimate shame.

"I-I'm sorry," Harry whispered. "I can't have them see me like that. Not yet." He looked down in shame at his weakness. He did not want to see the disappointment he knew would be in Andi's eyes.

Andi put a finger under his chin and gently raised his head up so their eyes met. Harry was surprised to see no disappointment, only concern and dare he say it? Love.

"It's alright Harry. If that is what you want, I will ask them to leave. But please think about what I said. Sirius is a good man and he would love you no matter what," she said reassuringly. He nodded.

"Thank you," he whispered gratefully. Andi nodded and moved to talk to the others.

" I know this will be difficult to hear bu Harry wishes to conduct the exam in private," she started looking from Sirius to Nymphadora. Sirius opened his mouth to speak but Andi started speaking again. "Please respect his wishes Sirius. He is very uncomfortable with others seeing him in a vulnerable state and I wish for him to be at ease."

Sirius looked from Andi to Harry to see him looking back with pleading eyes. Those green eyes held a shine to them and Sirius would be damned if he hurt that kid in anyway. He walked over to Harry slowly and his heart broke when he saw him take an involuntary step backwards. As if he was expecting to be hit. Sirius held his hands up in the universal gesture of being a non-threat and bent on one knee to get eye level with his Godson.

"Harry I- I know this is difficult. I just want to let you know that you can trust me. Whenever you're ready to talk about anything. I will be there for you,: Sirius said emotionally.

Harry met his eyes and breathed out, "I'm sorry Padfoot. I'm just not ready yet."

"It's ok lad, I will be there for you when you are," Sirius said before standing up. He bent low and placed a soft kiss on the crown of Harry's head. "I understand Harry. I'll leave you to it." He turned away and walked back to Andi, who was conversing silently with her daughter, before taking Nymphadora's hand and leaving the room.

Andi turned and looked at Harry and with a brief nod and a deep breath Harry reach behind his head and pulled off his shirt.

Harry was standing next to the bed, shirtless with his head down and his eyes closed. Surprisingly, the first thing Andi noticed as a Healer was the severe malnutrition the boy had suffered. You could clearly count the number of ribs that protruded from his skin. Quickly her focus shifted the horrible amount of scars that took up his body. Harry's back was riddled with raised lines of skin that looked like spiderwebs. Scars criss-crossed across his back and shoulders. There was a patch of discolored skin on his left shoulder that she would later learn came from a grease burn. On his front were more scars and a large brand over his left breast. On the center of his chest was a red lightning bold shaped scar. His left wrist held a scar that formed a 'T'. A horizontal line close to his hand and a vertical line going up toward his elbow stopping mid wrist. And's eyes stung with tears as she struggled to maintain her professional appearance.

Harry's eyes remained closed as Andi took in the scene in front of her. He refused to look up at her. It was not until he felt a hand on his cheek and another kiss to his crown that he looked up to see her shining gray eyes looking back at him.

"It's ok Harry," she said as she raised her wand and started waving it around him, muttering under her breath. Seeing he was healthy, Andi gave him a few vials that would work as vaccines against Magical diseases like Dragonpox. After the potions were consumed she assembled a row syringes that were identified as Muggle Vaccines. She injected each vaccine and was about to finish the exam when she thought of something. She hadn't looked at his Magical Core. She pulled out her wand again and ran the appropriate charm until she found what she was looking for. As a result her eyes widened in horror.

"What is it?" He asked afraid to hear what she would tell him.

"Put you shirt on love, I have to bring Sirius back in for this," she said.

Hurrying to obey, he stopped her before she reached the door, "Andi? About the scars please don't tell anyone. At least not until I'm older. I just want to be free and forget about them," he pleaded.

While normally her Healer's oath would have required her to alert the authorities of an abused child, it also required her to keep her patients' trust. She begrudgingly nodded to Harry and allowed Sirius to re-enter the room.

"Well? Is everything ok? Is he healthy?" he started quickly and impatiently as he strode across the room to look Harry over.

"Aside from the malnutrition, and we'll fix that with a nutrient potion regiment, he is perfectly healthy Siri. I've given him all of his inoculations as you requested," Andi said in a reassuring voice. "While he is certainly undersized for his age, the same cannot be said for his Magical Core."

"What do you mean? I thought you said he was healthy?" Sirius accused.

"He is Siri. However his Magical Core is quite large for someone his age...despite the fact that he has three powerful binds on his Core," she said waiting for Sirius' eruption. She was however disappointed. The signs of his anger was there. His eyes held barely restrained fury, his hands were clenched at his sides so hard his knuckles were turning white, and a breeze started to flow through the room despite the windows being shut. Andi had to applaud his control, so as to not frighten Harry. A moment later the breeze died down and Sirius regained control.

"Can we break the binds?" Sirius asked.

"We can, however not all at once. There is a ritual that would dissolve a Magical bind one at a time," she informed him regrettably. "I suggest we preform the rituals on his eleventh, twelfth, and thirteen birthdays. As you know thirteen is a rather powerful Magical number so it could help even more."

"Very well," Sirius replied. "As long as Harry has no problem with that, it will be our course of action." He looked down to Harry for confirmation and the boy just nodded his head.

"Excellent," Andi beamed. "Now Harry, why don't you go find Nymphadora and get to know one another? I'd like to catch up with my favorite cousin."

Harry looked at her suspiciously, thinking she was going to tell Sirius about what she saw, but she just gave him a reassuring smile and a nod that set him at ease. He nodded and left the room.

Sirius then led Andi across the hall and into his office where he set up standard privacy wards. He sat behind his large mahogany desk while Andi sat one a comfortable chair across from him. He could clearly tell Andi wanted to talk so he waited for her to start.

"Sirius...what happened that Halloween? Everyone was told that that boy had been killed. Yet he stood right in front of me and he is a carbon copy of James with Lily's eyes," she said emotionally.

"I don't know," he replied sadly. "I remember Apparating to Godric's Hollow after James felt the wards fall. We could see from the outside that the nursery had been damaged. The windows were shattered and the walls cracked. Lily and James got there first followed by Albus and I. Albus followed them upstairs shortly after, while I Flooed the DMLE and stood guard making sure no other Death Eaters were around. After Barry Crouch and the Aurors arrived, I went upstairs to Find Lily, James and Danny, but no Harry or Albus. That's when they told me Harry had died, and Albus took him to St. Mungo's for them. I looked into my Magic to find a trace of Harry's but there was nothing."

Andi gasped and put a hand to her mouth. "Albus," she said in a near whisper. "Siri those Magical binds were absurdly strong. He must have bound Harry's core for some reason or another and passed him off as a Squib. You know as well as I do that the Old Families would abandon any children born without Magic."

"James and Lily would not do that to their son!" He exclaimed indignantly. "For Merlin's sake Lily is a Muggleborn. She would never give up a child even if James was that type of person."

Another gasp left Andi's mouth moments later. "Unless it was to protect him. As the Boy Who Lived, Daniel Potter has always had a massive target on his back. If it weren't for the formidable wards around the new Potter Manor, I'm told there would have been numerous attacks. If Harry was pronounced as a Squib, he would have no way to protect himself from the Death Eaters who walk free."

"But why would Albus bind Harry's core? What would be the point?" Asked a frustrated Sirius.

"You know that I've never trusted Dumbledore Siri. My time in Slytherin taught me that. That's why neither Ted nor myself ever felt the need to join the Order. We both are of the notion that Albus Dumbledore is a manipulator. I can't think of a reason why he would bind Harry's Magic but I can't help but think the worst"

—

_Meanwhile in the Black Sitting Room: _

Harry found Tonks in the sitting room reading a magazine. She looked up when he walked in and her face slowly formed a smile.

"Wotcher Harry!" She said brightly. "All right there? Mum fix you up all right?"

"I think so," he replied shyly. 'Hey Tonks? Why does your mum call you Nymphadora?"

Her smile immediately turned to scowl when she heard her dreaded first name. "Cause my mum and dad thought they were cute and gave me the worst first name ever!" She said dramatically. "I hate my name and everyone I know, knows it. That's why I ask everyone to call me Tonks. I like it better and its much easier don't ya think?" She finished her rant with her hair cycling through the colors of the rainbow.

"I kinda like it," Harry mumbled looking down. He missed Tonks' face and hair flush bright red.

"Ahem so Harry," Tonks cleared her throat to forget about her embarrassment. "Cousin Sirius told me you were raised by Muggles. Do you happen to know anything about Magic?"

"Not really," he replied sadly. "I've only ever made things float but I think I've gotten rather good at it," he finished proudly. It was one of the happiest days of his life when he was able to hover objects in his cupboard with almost perfect control.

Tonks sat there with her mouth hanging open. "You can do a wandless levitation charm?" She asked shocked from this revelation.

"Wandless what?" He asked.

Tonks reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a stick of wood. "This is my practice wand, while not as strong as a real one, it helps kids like us get used to casting spells. Witches and wizards use real wands to focus their Magic. Everyone is told that only really powerful witches and wizards can do wandless magic," she said excitedly.

It was now Harry's turn to look dumbfounded. He was a powerful wizard? Sure he remembered a little from his time before the Dursley's. He remembered a man with messy black hair blowing bubbles from his wand for Harry and another baby while a woman with dark red hair watched on in amusement. He was brought out of his reminiscing when Tonks had mumbled a question.

"Sorry Tonks, what'd you say?"

"Can you show me? Pleasssse?" She pleaded. She wanted nothing more at the moment than to see her new friend do Magic.

Harry breathed in and out deeply before closing his eyes and focusing his attention in on himself. He had done this hundreds of time in the privacy of his cupboard so it wasn't long before he felt the familiar warmth build up in his chest. He decided that if Tonks wanted to be impressed he would certainly try his hardest to knock her socks off. Harry focused the warmth to his arm as he lift it and pointed it to where Tonks was sitting in front of him. He felt the warmth flow through his fingers and to where he wanted it to go.

Unbeknownst to Harry, Tonks was sitting across from with an excited gleam in her eyes. She saw Harry raise his hand to her and the next second a feeling of weightlessness ran through her. Her eyes widened as she realized she was now floating above the couch she was just sitting on! She giggled and that turned into a full blown laugh when she started moving across the room.

Harry had opened his eyes when he felt his Magic doing what he wished. Tonks was floating above the couch with him in perfect control. He started moving her across the room at varying speeds, enjoying the sound of her laughter ringing through the room. Her laughter was soon joined in by his own. Both children were so least in their giddiness that they did not hear the sitting room door open to admit Sirius and Andi. Both stood in the doorway with opened mouths while Harry levitated Tonks around the room with precision. Andi's shock turned to amusement as a wide smile split her lips she looked from the kids to Sirius only to see the Head of the Black Family follow her cue from earlier and fall into a dead faint.

—-

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Not too much happened, just a couple introductions and a friendship being formed. This chapter and most likely the next will be filler chapters covering Harry before we go off to Hogwarts. Please review!


	5. Chapter 5: Before Hogwarts

A/N: PLEASE READ NUMBER 1!

1: Hey all! Sorry about the delay but this chapter turned out to be quite difficult for me to write. Just trying to add random stuff before Harry goes to Hogwarts so please bear with me. I an earlier chapter I mentioned that Tonks was almost three years older than Harry. PLEASE DISREGARD THIS! While I enjoy different fics that involve the age difference, (Harry/Fleur, Harry/Tonks) I think it would make this story better if I make Tonks ONE YEAR OLDER THAN HARRY. It will definitely help me out in the long run as well.

—

Chapter 5: Before Hogwarts

_October 1986_

Harry Potter was the happiest he had been in a very long time. He had been living with Sirius Black for a year now and was enjoying it immensely. At first it had been difficult. Though every fiber of his being had told him to trust Sirius, Harry had still felt wary in the early weeks of his stay. He didn't want to let his guard down and be complacent simply because an adult was being kind to him. The last time he had done that he was rewarded with a brand upon his breast. As the time progressed however, Harry had begun to grow acclimated tip Sirius and life at Black Cottage. Sirius spent most of the weekdays away at the Ministry to continue his work as Head Auror leaving Harry with Tonks or his recently acquired personal House elf.

At first Harry had been startled by the appearance of the little creature. He was thin, with pale skin and large bulbous green eyes, just a few shades lighter than Harry's. Sirius explained that he had purchased the Elf named Dobby from his cousin Narcissa Malfoy née Black. Narcissa explained that the Elf had undergone his training with the Malfoy's staff, but they had no need of him as there were only three of them in the manor. Harry bonded with the excitable Elf immediately and instead of seeing Dobby as a servant, he considered him a friend. Tonks was also taken with Dobby as she had the majority of the summer at Black Cottage under Dobby's supervision while her parents were at work.

Over the past year, Harry had mostly recovered from his time spent in Surrey. The potion regiment he had been prescribed worked wonders on his body as he had filled out considerably and grew a couple inches. Though he was still below the average height, he had been promised that by the time he went to Hogwarts, he would not be the runt of the school. Of course, the physical and mental scars still remained. Andi had told him that there was nothing she could do to permanently remove his scars as they were too old, but she had taught him a special glamour charm he could utilize to hide them. He still hadn't showed them to Sirius which filled him with guilt. He told himself that he would but to his everlasting shame, he could not bring up the courage.

Sirius and Harry both proved to be Godsends for each other. Sirius for one felt years younger after Harry had agreed to live with him. Harry had opened up to Sirius about one of the experiences he had gone through at the Dursley's but always left out the more gruesome moments. To say Sirius Black was livid would be an understatement. He had wanted to go to Privet Drive and deal with them himself but Harry had begged him not to. He didn't want Sirius to be arrested and taken away from him. After seeing the pleading look in Harry's eyes, Sirius had immediately felt a strong sense of guilt flood through him accompanied by shame. After that conversation, Sirius reluctantly agreed to do nothing in regard to those damned Dursley's.

Sirius' change could be seen throughout the Auror Department. Gone was the cold detached Lord Black and in his place was a man who couldn't keep the smile off his face. The Aurors who worked under Sirius thought that may be he had found himself a lady friend to warm his bed as they had never seen their boss in such a mood. When asked, Sirius would merely smile, shrug and be on his way.

Just after the New Year, Sirius and Harry had had an extremely uncomfortable conversation regarding Harry's parents.

*FLASHBACK*

_January 2nd 1986_

_Harry was so happy. He had a wonderful New Year and an even better Christmas. The best Christmas that he could remember. He had spent it with Sirius and all three Tonks and had received numerous gifts that meant the world to him. He had received a Nimbus 1700 broomstick and guardianship papers that he had pushed through inconspicuously through a trustworthy individual in the Department of Child Welfare. Nymphadora had gifted Harry with a framed picture of the two of them. That picture along with one of Harry and Sirius were situated on his bedside table. The elder Tonks had given him a large assortment of Wizarding candies. It had been the first time meeting Ted Tonks and found the man to be quite jovial. _

_After Sirius and Harry had awoken after sleeping in, they met at the breakfast table where Sirius decided to bring up the topic he had been dreading._

"_Ahem. Harry, I wanted to ask you something," he started nervously. "What do you want to do about your parents?"_

_Sirius flinched as Harry's face darkened and the temperature in the room seemed to drop. Harry's knuckles whitened as his hands clenched into fists. _

"_Why do you ask?" Harry asked through clenched teeth. _

_Sirius flinched again at the cold tone Harry spoke in. By any of the Gods out there he never wanted to hear that tone directed at him again. _

"_Harry I don't know the story of why they did what they did and I promise you I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do. I've told you what I know from that night. I'm asking you because I want to know what you want to do," Sirius said sincerely. He internally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Harry relax._

"_They abandoned me Padfoot," Harry whispered. "All because an old man suggested it. They sent me a few presents for my birthday and Christmas but forgot about me after that. You're the closest person to me. You and Tonks. Right now, I want nothing to do with them."_

_Sirius sighed sadly, expecting that answer but also dreading it. He wasn't sure why considering the fact that he wouldn't forgive James and Lily for what they did. When he did see the Potters since he rescued Harry, he'd been barely civil. Just enough that they did not raise any questions as he adopted his stony Lord Black persona. _

"_Very well. If you'd like, we can keep you a secret but I would really like it if you made some friends your own age. My counterpart in the French Ministry of Magic has a daughter your age. I trust him implicitly and he would keep our secret," Sirius suggested._

_Harry took a moment to ponder this. Having friends was such a foreign concept to him. He never had a friend growing up until he met and she was incredible. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to make more friends. He looked to Sirius and nodded to him._

*FLASHBACK ENDS*

Thinking back on that day brought a sense of excitement to Harry. They were scheduled to join the Delacours on Christmas Eve in France for a party/ball and Harry had been given dancing lessons from Andi and Narcissa. Cissy, as she asked to be called, had been daunting when they first met. She was prim and proper and it reminded Harry of the facade the Dursleys wore in public. Though apprehensive at first, Harry quickly warmed up to her. As a daughter of the House of Black, Narcissa was required to Harry a secret from anyone not in the know. This of course included her loathsome Death Eater husband. Though she out on the face of a loving wife in public, her marriage to Lucius was the product of a marriage contract signed by Cygnus Black and Abraxas Malfoy. At first she had been enamoured with Lucius. He said all the right things and acted the Pureblood, loving husband in public. That however turned out to be the complete opposite. They had laid together as husband in wife on their wedding night and many other times until Narcissa finally became pregnant with his heir. That was six years ago, and they hadn't laid together since. Narcissa had her own bedroom and wasn't not allowed much time with her own son. She was a prisoner in her own home and she loathed it. She was working with Sirius to dig up enough evidence on Lucius to have him convicted of a crime so he could annul her marriage as Lord Black. Sirius had already annulled the marriage between Bellatrix and Rodulphus Lestrange. In doing so, Sirius was able retake Bella's dowry and the majority of the wealth in the Lestrange vault. They had done this because of a clause they had found while looking over the family's marriage contracts. While every contract stated that a marriage would be available for annulment if a spouse was convicted of a crime, Druella and Cygnus Black had added a clause that forced Bella to the will of her husband. As Rodulphus was a devoted follower of Lord Voldemort, Bella was forced as one was well.

After noticing this clause, both Sirius and Narcissa had visited Bella where she had been in Azkaban and discussed everything with her. She told them everything. She was apparently able to fight off the compulsion of the contract to an extent and avoid actually killing people. She was also able to over come the effects enough to warn Frank and Alice Longbottom of the impending attack on their manor beforehand, leading directly to the arrests of the Lestranges and Barty Crouch Jr. This betrayal of he husband by Bella forced her to go through extreme pain similar to that of the Cruciatus Curse.

As Head Auror, Sirius brought this to the attention of the new Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones, and Bella was given a trial under veritaserum where she was found to be innocent and released into Sirius' custody, to Dumbledore's dismay. Bella had been participating in extensive treatment to her mind and body and was progressing quickly enough that she would be able to rejoin the Blacks once more.

—

_Christmas Eve 1986_

The day was finally here. It was Christmas Eve and Harry and his family were gathered around a length of rope that would act as a portkey to Chateau Delacour in the South of France. There was Harry, Sirius, Andi, Tonks, the newly minted Narcissa Black and her escort Remus Lupin.

Harry had been introduced shortly after Halloween of that year after Sirius had made Remus take a Magical Oath to not tell anyone about him. Remus had been confused at first seeing Harry but quickly fell to his knees in tears. Like the rest of the Wizarding World, Remus had been told Harry had died during the attack at Godric's Hollow. After seeing him, Remus' emotions went from sadness to pure unadulterated rage. Rage at James and Lily, rage at Voldemort, and rage at his hero Albus Dumbledore. That day he had pledged himself to helping Harry and the Blacks while also helping his Godson Daniel. Like Sirius, he would stay civil with the elder Potters and Dumbledore to keep up appearances.

With everyone gathered around and holding the portkey, it was activated with a tap of Sirius' wand and everyone felt a tug around there naval as the portkey brought them across the English Channel in a matter of seconds.

The party of six landed in an immaculately decorated entrance hall with garlands of holly, miniature Christmas trees and jars of fairies taking up much of the space. The two children had been unceremoniously dropped onto their bottoms while the adults landed gracefully on their feet. Sirius and Remus snickered behind their hands while the two ladies simultaneously swatted the back of their heads. They were interrupted from their shenanigans by a throat clearing behind them. The guests turned to find a tall man watching them, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Sirius Black!" The man boomed jovially. "It is such a pleasure to have you in my home once again!" The man stepped up to Sirius and wrapped him in a strong hug that left the young Lord wheezing. Harry noticed that while the Frenchman spoke English very well, he did not have a strong accent. A result from all of his work with Sirius, he would learn later.

"Thank you Jean Sebastian," Sirius replied after he had caught his breath. "It's good to be back and thank you for inviting us into your beautiful home. I would like to introduce my companions. The old man behind me is my oldest friend Remus Lupin and his date, my cousin, Narcissa Black formerly Malfoy. This dark-haired beauty is my eldest cousin Andromeda Tonks née Black with her daughter Nymphadora." Handshakes were given to the men while Jean Sebastian, ever the gentleman, lightly kissed the ladies on the knuckles, ignoring Tonks' scowl as he did. "And finally this young man is my Heir, Scion to the Black Family, Hadrian Potter."

Jean Sebastian's eyes widened comically in shock as he processed this information. He, like everyone else in Wizarding Europe thought the boy dead. Realization struck Jean Sebastian after a few seconds of openly gawping at the boy. "I suppose this is the reason you asked about my Occlumency shields?"

"It is my friend. We have decided as a family to keep Hadrian's survival a secret to everyone until the time is right," Sirius said. "We plan to place several glamour charms on him to avoid being recognized, but as you are a friend, we wanted to be honest with you and your family. I hope it is not too much trouble to also give us a Wizard's Oath to keep this information secret?"

Jean Sebastian looked at the family in awe and gave his vows without hesitation. Sirius Black had saved Jean Sebastian during a Death Eater raid in the first War with Voldemort at great personal risk. It was the least he could do to keep his family safe. "You have nothing to worry about my friends. My Occlumency shields are needed for my job and as a result, very strong. My wife and and daughters' shields are strong as well given their heritage," he said cryptically. Sirius was the only member of their party that knew Appolline Delacour and her daughters were Veela.

"Thank you my friend," Sirius said gratefully. He was eager to lighten up the mood and diffuse the tension that had settled. "Now how about you show us to your beautiful family?"

"A capital idea! Come! Come!" Jean Sebastian replied. He was always so proud of his family.

They walked through a set of doors which led to a quaint sitting room with a large Christmas tree in the corner adjacent to their Floo. Awaiting them was one of the most beautiful woman Harry had ever seen. She looked to be in her twenties, with long hair so blonde it was almost silver. In her arms she held a baby they would learn was only a few months old but had inherited her mother's features if the soft tuft of silver hair and blue eyes were any indication. Beside the pair was another girl with the same silver hair but instead of the deep blue eyes her mother had, the child's was lighter, similar to the color of a clear sky.

"Allow me to introduce my beautiful family," Jean Sebastian started proudly. "My beautiful wife Appolline, in her arms is our youngest, little Gabrielle, and my first daughter Fleur Isabelle," he finished as his face broke out into a large smile at his family. It was obvious the man adored them all. Jean Sebastian then introduced their guests to his family.

"And finally, this young man is Hadrian Potter," he finished. The women of The Delacour looked at Harry with wide eyes, a reaction he was getting used to. " Hadrian and his family wish to keep his identity a secret until they decide the time is right. We will honor their request and keep this secret," he finished sternly, making sure there was no room for arguments.

Soon the other guests arrived, Harry's glamours were applied, and the party was in full swing. As there were not many children attending, Harry and Tonks were sitting together while the adults socialized.

"So what do you think?" Tonks asked Harry.

"It's beautiful," he replied softly still looking around in awe. While he was not used to the different types of food being served, he found everything quite enjoyable. "I still can't believe I'm in France. I never thought I would leave Britain."

Tonks looked at Harry with sympathy and was about to talk when an Angelic voice came in their direction.

"_Excusez-moi,_" the voice said. Tonks and Harry looked up to see the face of Fleur Delacour looking at them hopefully. "I was wondering if I can sit with you?"

"Of course," Harry said. His lessons with Cissy taught him to always be polite to a lady so he stood and pulled out a chair for her. He dazzling smile was the only reward he needed as his stomach did a somersault. Harry was all too happy to talk to Fleur and possibly make a new friend, while Tonks was a bit more wary. She had a strange feeling when it came to Fleur, but she could not put her finger on what it was.

They talked for most of the night and even shared a few dances together. It was after all a ball so they were expected to dance. Although Tonks was a real klutz, she was actually a rather gifted dancer having only stumbled twice the whole night. Fleur of course was a natural on the dance floor, moving gracefully through the dance as if it was second nature. Their discussions was nothing heavy to the relief of Harry.

All in all, the night turned out to be one of the most enjoyable of Harry's young life. Though daunting at first, Harry made conversation with his hosts and was even allowed to hold baby Gabrielle with Appolline close by. Harry conversed with Jean Sebastian as well with Harry learning how the French Ministry worked and other aspects of the unfamiliar culture.

On their way out, the Blacks and company were almost disappointed to leave. Narcissa had gotten rather cozy with Remus over a few glasses of wine had been holding onto his arm as they prepared to leave. Tonks stood next to Andi, leaning on her leg ready to fall asleep while Harry and Sirius stood tall and bid their hosts goodnight.

"Thank you for welcoming us into your home my friend," Sirius said. "We all had a wonderful time."

"Think nothing of it my friend," he replied grasping Sirius in another strong hug. "You will alway be welcome in my home. All of you."

Sirius smiled gratefully at his longtime friend and nodded. He took the moment to nudge Harry forward.

"Thank you having us tonight Sir, Ma'am," Harry said formally, shaking the hand of Jean Sebastian and lightly kissing the knuckles of Appolline. He moved to Fleur who, like Tonks, looked drowsy. "Thank you Fleur, for having us and for being my friend," he said softly, gently kissing the back of her hand as well. Cissy's teachings was really paying off for him.

Fleur seemed to have woken up and surprised everyone by wrapping the boy up in a hug. Despite Harry's progress in social situations, he stiffened and slowly relaxed enough to reciprocate the hug. After a moment both children released each other and blushed. Fleur then walked over to Tonks and wrapped her up in a hug as well. Tonks took less time respond and wrapped the younger girl up as well.

"Promise you will write? The both of you?" Fleur asked Harry and Tonks.

"Of course we will," Tonks said brightly with Harry nodding along. Fleur smiled brightly at their response, lighting up the room. Harry stepped up to them and put his arms over their shoulders and initiated a three-way hug. And thus began a beautiful friendship.

—

_July 30th 1988_

Albus Dumbledore sat in his his large office at Hogwarts fuming. His errand to Ollivander's had proved to be futile as the old man refused to part ways with that thrice-damned Elder Wand. He had gone back to that shop well over thirty times since that day in 1945 and each time he had been rebuffed with Garrick Ollivander reminding him that Albus himself requested that not even he should wield the power of the wand.

Albus was so caught up in his furious pacing that he did not notice the Quill of Acceptance writing a name in the Book of Admittance. A name that had he seen it, he would have investigated immediately. A name that in the years to come would be the bane of the Headmaster's existence. A name that would destroy all of his plans for Lord Voldemort.

_Hadrian James Potter_

The Owl designated for this particular letter dove out of the windo of the Headmaster's Office before the old man noticed.

_July 31st 1988_

'Today is the day' Harry thought as he got out of bed on the morning of his eleventh birthday. It was the day in which two important events were occurring. First, he was expecting his Hogwarts letter in the post. He had heard all about how magnificent Hogwarts was from Sirius and Dora (Tonks had said she rather liked when he called her Dora) and he could not wait to see the wonderful castle for himself. Secondly and perhaps more importantly was the first ritual he would undergo to remove one of the blocks placed on him. The ritual room at Number 12 Grimmauld Place was prepared in the _exact _manner it needed to be and to say Harry was nervous about it would be an understatement. In preparation fo the day, he had been talked with reading all he could about rituals and the consequences if a step in the process was missed. If even one step was followed incorrectly the ritual participant could die. There was a documented instance from 1887 in which a man attempted a ritual on his own and ended up with an extra arm coming out of his back that could not be removed. Harry shuddered at the thought of a side effect like that and the adult Blacks helped to make sure everything was prepared accordingly.

The past two years had been extremely busy for Harry, more so since Dora left for Hogwarts the year before. He had been devouring book after book from the Black Family Library courtesy of the Black Anybook and learned a great deal of Magic, both traditional and obscure. He had been brought into the Black Family Vault at Gringotts by Sirius where they picked up a wand that worked for Harry and with this wand, he was able to practice Magic earlier than almost every other Wizarding Child. His Aunt Bella had insisted on helping Sirius train Harry in dueling and because of them he was quite the formidable warrior. This was all brought to fruition because of a nightmare he had one night after the Christmas party thrown by the Delacours.

*FLASHBACK*

_January 1987 _

_Harry sat up in bed gasping for air. Sweat poured off his body, soiling the expensive silk sheets Sirius had bought for him when he rescued Harry. A crack signaled Harry to one of his closest friends._

"_Master Harry Potter Sir! Is you being ok?" Dobby the Elf asked worriedly. With his bond to Harry, he was always made aware when his Master was in need of him._

"_I'm fine thank you Dobby," Harry replied. "Could you please change the sheets for me? I have to take a shower. By the way what time is it?"_

"_Dobby be doing that Master Harry. It is being half past five," Dobby informed him._

"_Thank you my friend," said Harry, smiling at Dobby's excitement. _

_An hour and a shower later, Harry made his way to the dining room where his family was eating a delicious looking breakfast no doubt prepared by Dobby and Kreacher, the Black Family Elf. He sat down in his normal spot at the foot of the table, opposite where his Godfather sat as Lord Black and greeted Cissy, Remus and Bella when Sirius spoke up._

"_Morning Harry," Sirius exclaimed cheerfully before his expression dropped at seeing the haggard look on Harry's face. "Are you ok? You look like you've barely slept a wink."_

"_Just a nightmare, I'll be fine," Harry replied unconvincingly. It was clear from the expressions on the faces of the adults that they were not convinced._

"_Harry you know you can tell us right?" Remus cut in. "We are you're family and we are here for you no matter what." The raw emotion in his warm brown eyes. Harry looked around and saw the same expression on the faces of the three other adults. _

"_I've had the same dream before," Harry started uncertainly. "I'm much younger, maybe four or five and there is a man in a long black robe with red eyes looking at me and a baby. He pointed his wand at me and bound me with black ropes. He pointed his wand at the other baby, I think it was my brother, and a spell was heading to him. I didn't think, I just felt my Magic and dove in front of him. The green spell hit me and that's when I wake up."_

_The four adults around the table sat with dumbfounded expressions on their faces. They all had the same thought running through their minds, 'if what Harry dreamt was true, then everything they thought they knew about the attack was in fact a lie.' If what Harry saw in his dream as actually a memory, then he was the true Boy Who Lived..._

_*_END FLASHBACK*

Harry remembered the next conversation vividly. The adults had told them about their suspicions and Sirius had held a shaking Harry like a father would hold his distraught son. He kept whispering in Harry's ear that even if it was not true, they would work on preparing Harry because he might become a target. Thus Harry's training began in full force. Remus helped him in learning about Magical Creatures and the theoretical aspects of Magic. Sirius trained him in both Magical and Mundane combat while Bella aided in the Magical portion and added the expertise of Dark Magic she acquired as a result of the Slave Contract that bound her to her ex-husband and the Dark Lord. Andromeda had visited often, especially during the school year and Dora's absence. After being told of the possible situation, she immediately agreed to help and began teaching Harry basic healing spells and and Wizarding Law she had picked up from her Husband's profession. Finally Narcissa kept up her teachings in Pureblood etiquette and included Occlumency lessons. In his free time, Harry read all he could and practiced his Wandless Magic.

Though his progress at first was slow, he quickly began to progress positively much to the delight of his family. He was quickly moving through the _Standard Book Of Spells Grade 1 _and _2\. _Despite the Magical Binds, he was showcasing an immense amount of power in his offensive spells and his shield charm was beyond impressive for someone so young. His grasp on Magical Theory was awe-inspiring and Remus even said that he was a natural in everything he had seen

Despite his impressive progress, Harry could not help but feel apprehensive about the ritual. Sure he knew that it would be beneficial in the long run but he was anxious to get it over and done with. And sure enough, it was time. Harry entered the Ritual Room in a bathrobe, wearing only a pair of workout shorts underneath. With her immense knowledge of Dark Magic, Bella volunteered to be the one to perform the rites while Andromeda sat just outside the room in case medical attention was required. Harry took off his robe and laid on the cold stone table in the center of the room. Bella then began painting runes on his body with salamander blood.

"Salamander blood and dittany, for health and rejuvenation," Bella muttered under her breath while continuing the slow strokes.

"Leaves of the moly plant, to break the bind," she muttered after she was done with the ruins. Bella took the white leaves, crumpled them up, and spread them across the painted on Runes until started to glow.

Harry continued to lay still while Bella did her work. After the moly leaves were added, he could see the Runes on his body begin to glow a dark green in color. Then Bella began to mutter an incantation in a language that Harry didn't recognize. After a few moments Harry began to fell the Runes start to burn on his body, but his familiarity with pain helped him in not screaming out. After a few moments the pain subsided leaving Harry a sweating mess but feeling his Magic coursing through his veins in a potency he had never felt before.

They had succeeded.

After donning his bathrobe, having pried a Magical Oath from his pseudo-Aunt to not tell anyone about his scars, the duo left the room to a pacing Sirius and business like Andi. Sirius was quick to move to Harry when he realized they had entered the room.

"Harry! How are you? How do you feel?" Sirius asked quickly and worriedly.

"I feel fine Padfoot. Better than fine really," Harry replied as Andi began running her wand over Harry muttering in what sounded to Harry like Latin.

"Where are your glasses?" Andi asked, noticing the way the boy's eyes seemed to glow.

Harry put his hand to his face and felt nothing where his glasses should be. He was surprised as he could see perfectly, even better than he could with those retched glasses the Dursleys had given him from a scrap bin.

"Wicked!" Harry exclaimed with a beaming smile. "I can see better than I could before!"

Sirius looked at him fondly before turning to the Healer. "Is everything alright Andi?"

"Everything seems perfect Siri. The ritual was successful and his Magic seems to be leveling out nicely. I figure a few hours without Magic and he'll be good to go," Andi responded.

"Can we still go to Diagon Alley today?" Harry asked with a pout.

Never being one to turn down his Godson, Sirius replied in the affirmative. "I think we can wait a few hours before we leave. Maybe And could go get Nymphadora and we can make it a group outing?"

Harry nodded excitedly and sent pleading eyes to Andi who like Sirius found it difficult to refuse him. Heaving an amused sigh she said, "I suppose Nymphadora still as her shopping to do as well. I believe I have figured out why she decided to wait until a week after her letter arrived." She looked at him with knowing eyes as he blushed and looked away.

"Brilliant!" Sirius exclaimed clapping his hands together. "Harry will rest for a few hours then we'll make our way to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch and some shopping." It was clear to the adults that Sirius loved spending money on Harry, despite his countless protests.

Hours later Sirius and Harry were walking alongside Andi and Dora completing most of their shopping. Sirius, as the Lord of an Ancient and Most Noble House, had a specialized Gringotts card the worked in both Magical and Mundane Worlds. The card was keyed to his Magical signature for use in the Magical world, while Gringotts had special contracts with Barclaysin the Mundane World allowing the card to take funds straight from the massive Black Family Vault.

"Alright Harry," Sirius started after being in the Alley for a few hours. They had braved the craziness that was _Flourish and Blotts_ and _Slug and Jiggers Apothecary_, and suffered the popular seamstress that was Madam Malkin and the subsequent shopping spree the ladies forced upon them. They grabbed Harry a standard pewter cauldron but splurged on a four compartment trunk that could hold a small library and Sirius insisted on furnishing a room into a bedroom with an en-suite in case of an emergency. "We have a few more stops to make before we call it a day. I want to get you a familiar and we still need to get you your wand. Great Granddad Cygnus' might work well for you but nothing is better than your own wand. Then I think we should stop by Gringotts and set up a trust vault for you."

Harry had opened his mouth to protest when Sirius held up his hand to stop him, "Harry you are my Heir and the closest thing to a son I'll ever have. As a Potter you _should _have a trust vault already set up but I'm not sure what your parents did with it." At the mention of his birth parents Harry's face darkened and Sirius felt an unnatural cold seep into his body as he shivered slightly.

Unbeknownst to Harry, the air around them became thick with saturated Magic and a strange wind began to swirl around the party of four. The mention of the parents that abandoned him brought back the Harry Potter that had lived in a cupboard for half his life. The same Harry Potter that abhorred everything until he met Sirius. Harry felt a hand slip into his own and immediately calmed down after recognizing that Dora had grabbed his hand.

"Please calm down Harry," She whispered in his ear. "Forget about them. We are your family and we all care about you. Me, mum and dad, Siri, Auntie Bella and Auntie Cissy too. Even Fleur and her family! Just please calm down."

Harry noticed that people began to stare at the display he was putting on and quickly used his Occlumency to calm down and stop the whirlwind of Magic that was escaping him.

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "Harry I'm going to take care of you and if that means spending the entirety of the Black Vaults to do this then that's that I'm going to do. We'll figure out what the Potters did with the trust and work it out from there ok?"

Harry nodded and soon the party was once again on the move as they moved from store to store. Upon entering _Eeylops Owl Emporium_, Harry felt a connection appear in his mind and a small snowy white owl jumping excitedly in a nearby cage. He began walking to it when a larger snowy owl _precked _at him from within the large cage and met his green eyes with amber ones. Something inside Harry's head told him to not break eye contact and he agreed thinking it was some sort of test. After a few moments and several curious glances from the others, the owl gave him a clear nod and nudged the baby owl forward with its talon. The little one nudged its head against its mother's talon and hopped over to Harry and into his hand as he opened the cage. The owl looked at him and tilted its head and looked at him. Again green met amber until the bird gave a happy chirp and snuggled into his thumb. Sirius chuckled behind Harry as they made their way to the checkout counter.

After paying for Harry's new Familiar, who he discovered was female and remained unnamed, they finally made their way to the most exciting part of their shopping trip. Well, at least in Harry's opinion it was. He was finally going to get his very own wand! They came across the narrow and shabby storefront that was labeled as _Ollivanders: Makers ofFine Wands since 382 _B.C. They entered the shop to a soft tinkling as the bell above the door rang and Harry saw thousands upon thousands of narrow boxes lining shelves on the walls. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he felt a similar feeling to the one he experienced in _Eeylops, _only this one was significantly stronger. Confusion went through Harry as he noticed the layer of dust that seemed to cover the small shop. Thinking that the shop was closed he was about to get Sirius' attention to leave when someone spoke up from behind them.

"Good afternoon," said the soft voice startling Harry. The rest of the party seemed to be expecting the surprise and only Dora seemed to have been slightly startled. Harry looked up and saw a rather old man with eerie silver eyes looking at the party.

"Hello sir," Harry said timidly. "I'm starting Hogwarts this year and need a wand please." The old man smiled knowingly.

"Of course Mr. Potter," he said eliciting surprised looks from his family. "You do not have to draw your wand Lord Black. I am very cognizant of my clients' confidentiality as the wand choosing could be a very personal matter. I am well known for my discretion and my Occlumency shields are above satisfactory. Though if I may say, the return of the Prodigal Son will surely rock Wizarding Britain."

Sirius took his hand off the butt of his wand when he saw no deception in the creepy eyes of Garrick Ollivander. "How did you know who he was?" He asked.

"Ah I'm afraid, Lord Black, that is a Family Secret and I am unable to tell you even if I wanted to," Ollivander replied. Sirius nodded begrudgingly and Ollivander turned his attention back to Harry.

"Well then, Heir Potter-Black, let us get started shall we?" He said while moving to a half and bringing over an armful of narrow boxes.

"Cherry and unicorn hair, 14 inches, unyielding," he said as he handed Harry the first wand. As soon as it touched his fingertips, Ollivander yanked it back muttering under his breath. This continued for another half hour and with each wand he tries, that sensation grew stronger, calling him to the back room of the shop. Mr. Ollivander was about to hand him another wand made with holly and phoenix feather before Harry decided he had enough.

"Mr. Ollivander I don't think any of these wands will work for me."

Ollivander cocked his head to the side and looked at Harry curiously. "What makes you say that Mr. Potter?"

"I have this strong feeling. It started when I first walked in and has only gotten stronger with every wand I've tried," Harry explained a little frightened as to what it would mean.

The Wandmaker's eyes widened before a look of glee crossed his face. "Ooh excellent! You seem to have a connection to a wand already. The sensation you describe is almost like a pull yes?" He asked and Harry nodded. "Extraordinary! The wand chooses the Wizard after all and it seems like your wand has already made the bond! Well let us find your wand my dear boy! Lead the way!" Ollivander's enthusiasm was infectious and a smiling Harry led the group through the shop to the back room where the sensation was the strongest. He finally reached a piece of blank wall where the sensation grew stronger than ever before. He looked back to Ollivander, confused, and saw the old man had paled and his hands began shaking.

"By Merlin," Ollivander whispered in a mixture of awe and fear. "There were rumors of course but nothing was proven."

"What rumors would those be?" Sirius spoke up sharing Harry's confusion.

"There is only one wand hidden behind that wall Lord Black," Ollivander told him. "This wand was brought to me over forty years ago by the owner after that had won it from someone else. The one who brought it to my father and I requested we keep the wand safe even from him. For forty years I have kept that promise but if what I suspect is true, than I will be free from my promise."

"I'm sorry Mr. Ollivander but if you could not speak in so many riddles that would be great," Sirius said slightly frustrated

Ollivander merely gave him a cold look before moving to the wall and waving his wand along the wall, dismantling the powerful wards. After a moment, the wall slid back revealing a small alcove with a long thin box sitting on a marble pedestal. Ollivander slowly opened the box to reveal a long piece of dark wood with several knots spaced every few inches on its length. As soon as he saw the wand Harry felt the bond stronger than ever, almost begging him to pick up the wand.

Ollivander removed the wand from the box and held it out butt first to Harry. "Take it Mr. Potter, let us see if the and accepts you."

Harry reached for the wand with his dominant hand and just before he made contact with it, he felt a shock as small currents of lightning seemed to emanate from the wand to his fingers. He gasped when the current did not hurt him but instead felt wonderful. He grabbed the wand and immediately felt a comforting warmth run from his hand throughout the rest of his body. Emerald green and pitch black sparks flew from the and as it accepted its new Master, the true Lord Peverell.

"Marvelous," Ollivander gasped. "Lord Black I suggest you go to Gringotts and have Mr. Potter undergo an inheritance test. The wand that has chosen him was made with Elder wood and contains a Thestral hair core. It is 15 inches of power that has a very bloody history. It is a wand that, according to legend, was crafter by Death itself and given to Antioch Peverell."

"You-you mean this is the Elder Wand? The Deathstick?" Sirius asked in shock. "How?"

"As the Wand belongs to young Mr. Potter I have no problem telling you this: Albus Dumbledore brought this wand to me back in 1945 after his defeat of Grindelwald. He has been back numerous since then, requesting the wand back but I was adamant in not giving it back to him. The Elder Wand chose young Hadrian and I have no problem relinquishing it to his care. If my theory is correct, the Wand will remain eternally loyal to him. However," He said looking at Harry now. "You must be careful young man, if anyone were to discover that you hold the Elder Wand many will try to gain its allegiance."

—

An hour later a still shocked Harry sat with Sirius in Account Manager Sharpclaw's office. As suggested, Harry and Sirius went straight to Gringotts after sending Andi and Dora home after the tense experience that was Ollivanders. Sharpclaw was an older, regal looking Goblin who had managed the Black Family Vaults for several generations.

Harry had just bled into the marble basin used for the Inheritance Ritual and waited for the self-writing quill to stop writing with his blood. Moments passed until the quill finally stopped and Sharpclaw grabbed the parchment and began reading out what was written.

"Ah yes, Hadrian James Potter, Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter, Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, and..." Sharpclaw stopped and looked up with wide eyes. "And _Lord _of the Ancient House of Peverell."

"Lord? How can he already be a Lord? He's only eleven!" Sirius exclaimed in disbelief.

"Magic is a fickle thing Lord Black. It has been theorized that Magic is sentient. If our Inheritance Ritual says that Heir Potter-Black is a Lord than Magic saw fit to declare him one, than for all intents and purposes he is one. As such, Lord Peverell is now considered by Magic, Gringotts and the Ministry, an emancipated minor," Sharpclaw replied.

Sirius exhaled a long breath. His Godson just turned eleven and held a long lost Lordship _AND _the Wand of Destiny. He just assumed that all the craziness was at an end and prayed to all the Gods out there that this birthday would not be indicative of the years to come. Oh how wrong he would be.

—

A/N: Again guys thanks for bearing with me for this chapter. Like I said this was EXTREMELY difficult to write as I kept getting writer's block and was unmotivated altogether. If you have any comments or criticisms please be constructive. Don't be a dick. Thanks everyone!


	6. Chapter 6: Hogwarts

Chapter 6: Hogwarts

_September 1st 1988_

Albus Dumbledore sat on his great golden throne at the head table in the Great Hall. A new batch of first years had just entered the Great Hall behind Professor Minerva McGonagall and he smiled down warmly at them however his smile faltered a bit when he came to a child standing amongst the back of the group. He was taller than average and was looking straight at the Headmaster with a look of disdain that surprised him. That was not what made the child interesting however. Albus could we through his specialized glasses that the boy was covered in Glamour Charms. How would a first year know how to cast a charm like that and more importantly, _why _were the glamours necessary. A slight trickle of foreboding flowed through Albus as he decided to send a slight mental probe to the newcomer.

As he quickly entered the boy's mind, he was shocked to see that the boy had formidable shields that would not be able to be breached by a passive probe so he quickly pulled out to see the boy smirking at him but with a fire in his eyes that promised retribution. He gulped and drank from his goblet as he waited for the sorting to happen.

Names came and went as Harry waited for his turn to be sorted. While waiting he made eye contact with Tonks and she smiled and winked at him causing him to blush and her to fall in a small fit of giggles. On the train he had sat with Nym and some of her friends. Aside from him, her other best friend was a black haired girl her age who was introduced as Hesita Jones. Both Nym and Hestia were sorted into Hufflepuff House and both expressed aspirations in joining the Auror Academy after Hogwarts, leading them to become fast friends.

Minerva McGonagall observed as she went about her duties as Deputy Headmistress by commencing the sorting of new students. She had noted young Cedric Diggory, son of Amos, the Head of the Department for the Rugulation and Control of Magical Creatures being sorted into Hufflepuff. Going through the list of names she made it to a young lad named Michael Perkins before paling and going silent at the next name on the list. Tears welled up in her eyes as her breath began coming out in short intervals as she remembered the green-eyed angel she had grown to love as a Grandson before he was taken away from her. She looked up to Albus who had noticed her distress.

"A-Albus, is this some sort of J-joke?" McGonagall stammered.

"What is it Minerva?" Albus asked worriedly.

"P-Potter, H-H-Hadrian," she sobbed out covering her mouth with her hand as tears streamed freely down her cheeks.

The glass goblet in Dumbledore's hand shattered as he heard the last name he ever expected to hear again. How was Hadrian here? His binds should have been strong enough to completely stop his Magic from maturing. He looked to the group of first years and watched in horror as the same tall child who had rebuffed his mental probe stepped up amidst whispers from everyone else. As he took his steps, the glamours began to fade revealing the visage of one Hadrian Potter. A young man that looked eerily similar to James but with eyes that came straight from Lily.

Harry started walking to the stool in slow, measured steps watching the reaction of the Headmaster. While training in Occlumency with Cissy, he also delved briefly in Legilimency. He was able to develop it enough to accomplish a form of Passive Legilimency that would allow him to see surface thoughts that appeared due to an emotional trigger. He utilized this skill when his name was called and looked into the Headmaster's eyes and willing his Magic to _see._ He was able to confirm Sirius' suspicions that Dumbledore was culprit who placed the binds on him all those years ago and the Old Man didn't even realize what had happened. Harry finally reached the stool and the sobbing professor, ignorant of the whispered conversations that were occurring due to his surprise arrival and placed the old ragged hat on his head.

"Ahhhh, young Mr. Potter you are a conundrum aren't you?" A voice in his head said. Harry hastened to bring up his Occlumency barriers as a result.

"No need to fret Mr. Potter, I was created merely to find a person's identifying traits," the voice said. Harry deduced that it was the Hat talking in his head. "Very intuitive young man, most take longer to figure it out."

"Longer? How long has it been since I put you on?" Harry asked confused.

"As this is happening in your mind, time is flowing slower here than in the Hall," the Hat replied amusedly. "Now let's see where yo put you shall we? Hmmmmm I see you have an immense capacity for bravery and loyalty and you hold your intelligence in high regards. However your most defining trait seems to be your cunning and your drive to be the greatest. I can see that you want to be greater than any other before you. Therefore I believe I shall place you in..."

"WAIT!" Harry interrupted. "While I agree with you, I don't think I should be in Slytherin. Think about it, those who are truly cunning have the need to take people by surprise and to be placed in Slytherin would advertise these strengths wouldn't they? Someone who is truly cunning would not be placed in the house that cherishes it would they?"

The Hat was silent for a moment. "You are truly a Slytherin Mr. Potter, in all my years no students has changed my decision and made such a compelling argument in their favor. I do agree with you, you will do well in...RAVENCLAW!" The last word was yelled throughout the Great Hall as everyone stared in shock at the long lost Potter. Applause started from the Hufflepuff table as Nym and Hestia started clapping followed by excited clapping coming from the diminutive professor at the Head Table. The rest of the Hall followed suit as a polite applause broke out, the most excited coming from the Ravenclaw table aside from his two friends in Hufflepuff. Harry looked to the Head Table and saw the Headmaster had just healed his hand and gotten over his shock. Harry smirked and thought to himself, 'it's going to be an interesting year'.

—

_September 2nd 1988_

Harry stood in the large circular room of the Headmaster's Office. Earlier in the day he had received a summons from the Old Man inviting him to his office after dinner. Harry had naturally used his communication mirror and contacted Sirius immediately telling him of the meeting. Sirius had promised to be there to support him and told him to expect him to make a stylish entrance. The day had gone well with Harry having Charms, Transfiguration and Herbology. The teachers seemed impressed with his Magical ability and his prowess in the classroom. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick both doled praise onto him with the former doing so with watery eyes. Sirius had told him that Minerva McGonagall had been close to the Potters and Harry before that fateful night. After both classes Harry had stayed after class to request their presence that night in the Headmaster's Office as the Hogwarts Charter demanded.

"Ah thank you for coming Harry my boy," Albus Dumbledore said merrily, his eyes twinkling as he looked at the eldest Potter Son. "I'm pleased that you could make it tonight. Thank you Minerva, Filius you may leave us."

Actually Headmaster," Harry began. "According to the Hogwarts Charter, if the Headmaster wants an audience with a student, than the student is within his right to request the presence of the the Deputy Head and their Head of House. It would be inappropriate for you to ask them to leave. While we're on the topic of inappropriate behavior, I would prefer if you were to call me Mr. Potter as we have no familiarity and I am not comfortable with being on a first name basis with someone I've never met before." The other two professors in the room looked at Harry in shock. It was not often that someone told off the Headmaster and it was even less often that the Headmaster was in the wrong.

The Headmaster however used his considerable Occlumency to hide his scowl. The boy was well-mannered and polite but exuded a powerful presence. He had hoped that the upcoming meeting would be a private reunion between the Potters but it would seem the boy was more knowledgeable than he would have liked. He had no choice but to allow his colleagues to stay for the duration of the meeting.

As if summoned, the Headmaster's floo erupted in green flames and a young couple of about thirty stepped out. The man stood tall in the scarlet robes that identified him as a senior Auror. His raven hair an unruly mop atop his head looking identical to another occupant in the room. The woman next to him stood with grace and an almost ethereal beauty. She did not look a day over twenty-five and her warm green eyes looked at the room in worry, unaware of the reason her and her husband had been summoned.

"Headmaster... what's going on? Remus is with Danny right now while we're here but we don't want to leave him too long," James Potter said with Lily nodding in agreement. Harry had stepped back to stand adjacent to the floo to avoid being seen.

"Actually James, Lily, there is something or rather someone I want to reintroduce to you," the Headmaster said cheerfully.

"Reintroduce?" Lily asked. "Who are you talking about Albus?"

"That would be me," Harry's voice came from the direction of the floo. The Potters turned to see the newcomer only to stop short and stare in shock at their eldest son. The son they had given up after Albus Dumbledore had informed them of the boy being a squib. The son they had forgotten about for the last five or so years.

"H-Harry?" Lily whispered. "Is...Is that really you?" Tears began welling up in her eyes. Tears of sadness for their lost son, tears of shame for forgetting about the boy. James was not faring much better as he visibly slumped in shame and his head hung in misery.

"It's Hadrian," he replied in a cold voice that sent shivers down the spines of the other inhabitants of the room. "You lost the right to call me Harry when you abandoned me to live with your sister."

James and Lily flinch at the contempt in which their son spoke. McGonagall gasped in shock and then glared fiercely at her two _former _favorite students while Flitwick looked at his protégée and her husband in disgust and fury. Being a half-Goblin, Filius Flitwick lived by the three focus points of Goblin Lifestyle; gold, honor through battle, and family. The fact that a former student of his, one who had the potential to become a Charms _and _a Potions Mistrees, abandoned her son forced any respect he had for he to dwindle. Filius, like so many others, remembered the story that told of the events of Halloween 1981. It was said that that Lord Voldemort had attacked the Potter's cottage in Godric's Hollow resulting in the death of the eldest, Hadrian while the younger child, Daniel, would be proclaimed the Boy Who Lived and the Savior of the Wizarding World. Hearing young Hadrian's name come up during the sorting, his subsequent placement into Ravenclaw, and his accusations upon Lord and Lady Potter had been a shock to his system.

Albus watched the confrontation with growing unease. He had expected happy tears to be shed as Harry Potter had been returned to the Potters. Instead, Hadrian Potter stood tall and in a righteous fury as his birth parents watched on in guilt. Both Lily and James' eyes overflowed with tears as they saw their son look at them as if they were scum on the bottom of his boot. And they did not blame him in the slightest.

Unknown to most of the tense occupants of the room, a thin man with sallow skin, a hooked nose and uneven teeth stood disillusioned in the shadows of the Headmaster's Office. Severus Snape looked on in, surprisingly to him, sympathy at the young boy who had been apparently abandoned by his nemesis and former best friend. Despite being tormented by James Potter in his youth, Severus did not become a grudge-driven man who would hate anyone with the surname Potter. No, instead, Severus just didn't like anyone. He had harbored a longtime crush on Lily Evans but that had dissipated after their fifth year at Hogwarts.

The tension in the office was thick as Potter stared at Potter. Seeing as they were making no progress, the Headmaster decided to speak up.

"Well now that all that unpleasantness is over with I'm sure you would like to spend some time with your family Harry? After all you will be going home with them at the end of the school year and the holidays should you choose," Dumbledore said in his grandfatherly voice and a twinkle in his eyes.

This suggestion caused the Potters to momentarily come out of their forlorn state and look at Harry with eager and hopeful expressions. Their world once again came crashing down around them when Harry uttered only three words.

"No thank you."

The Potters' faces fell as new tears welled up in the eyes of Lily. At this moment, there was nothing in the world that she want more than to have Harry come home to them. The worst part was that she couldn't even blame him for his decision.

"No? Harry my boy why ever not?" Dumbledore asked perplexed.

"I'm quite happy with my current living arrangements Headmaster," Harry started before scowling towards the aged educator. "And I believe I asked you to call me Mr. Potter while on school grounds sir."

"You're happy with Petunia?" Lily asked confused. If he was happy there, why would he be so angry.

"I'm not living with the Dursleys," Harry said with disgust. "In fact my guardian should be arriving any moment now."

Dumbledore's mind was working faster than it had in years. Despite the surprise of Hadrian Potter overcoming his binds and attending Hogwarts, he still needed some measure of control over the boy to make sure he doesn't outshine his younger brother. To do that, he needed the boy to reunite with his family and forgive them. After all, where would the world be if nobody was capable of forgiveness. It was then that an idea came to mind.

"I'm sorry Harry," Dumbledore started ignoring the scowl from the boy when he used his first name. "But after your parents willingly sent you to your Aunt's, I, as Headmaster of this school have been named your Magical Guardian _in Loco Parentis,_" he finished patronizingly looking down at Harry over his half moon spectacles.

Harry returned the patronizing smile, "I'm sorry Headmaster but that's where you're wrong. While the Albion Magics certainly do as you said, there was another person who claimed guardianship over me."

Albus blinked once, then again as he processed what the young Potter had told him. Who else could have claimed the boy as their ward? Looking around the room he saw confused faces as well. Aside of course from the smirking child. He saw as comprehension seemed to dawn on James Potter as his face went pale.

"No..." he whispered almost to himself. He knew exactly who took Harry in and now it explained so much. The sudden aloofness that was portrayed all those years ago. The seemingly loos of planking ability that had befallen his best friend, and the sudden responsibility that seemed to have come out of nowhere in one Sirius Black.

At that moment the floo ignited with green flames and as if summoned, Sirius Black stepped out of the hearth looking entirely the part of Lord Black.

"Headmaster, Professors, Lord and Lady Potter," Sirius greeted everyone formally before making his way towards Harry. Harry had told him of the treatment he received at the hands of the Dursleys and it was only through the boy's pleas that he did not stomp off and get arrested for Muggle Hunting.

To say the room was unnerved by the sudden entrance of the Black Lord would be an understatement. The Potters looked on in sadness, apprehension and resignation while the other simple looked on in surprise.

"Well why don't I ask the question the majority of us want to hear the answer to shall I?" Sirius started. "Why did you send my Godson to live with the worst sort of Muggles imaginable after you let me believe that he was dead?"

The Potters had the grace to look ashamed of their actions while the Headmaster watched on intently. He did not want his involvement being well known.

"After the attack, we were told that Harry's Magical Core was severely damaged and could not replenish. We were told that the amount of Dark Magic in the room had rendered Harry a squib," James said. Seeing the furious look on the face of Sirius' face he hastened to add, "You remember what it was like back then Sirius! Do you really think we would have given up our child just because he was a squib!? We were all targets back then. We wouldn't be able to live with ourselves if Harry was hurt or worse because he couldnt defend himself. So we sent him to Petunia's to keep him safe from those in our world that wish him harm."

The room pondered this explanation and could not really fault the logic. However one question hung heavy in the air.

"And who was it that informed you of all this? It is quite obvious that whoever it was, was wrong," Minerva McGonagall was the one to ask.

The Potters did not say anything but both pairs of eyes flickered over to the Headmaster and that did not go unnoticed by the rest of the room. While that split second movement solidified Sirius' suspicions, it was a shock to the Professors in the room.

"And the Healer confirmed the Headmaster's diagnosis?" Filius asked.

In response the Potters just bowed their head in shame. Filius was angrier than he ever remembered. Here were two people who were portrayed on a pedestal by the press and public and yet they abandoned their eldest son with almost no cause. Like Filius, Minerva was also irate.

"You mean to tell me that you did not get a second opinion from a _trained_ Healer? We all know Albus is powerful but to not seek out a professional is egregious!" She declared vehemently. She was so upset that her Scottish Brogue came out without her noticing. Tears began running down the cheeks of Lily as if he had never stopped. Even James looked to be fighting tears.

Sirius watched on with an emotionless face. Inwardly however, he was conflicted. Despite the fact that he hated the Potters and Dumbledore for what they put Harry through, he still missed the man who had been his brother in all but blood. A small part of Sirius, a part that disgusted him, was happy with what the Potters had done as it gave him Harry, the single best thing that had ever happened to the Marauder. Despite how he felt about the situation, he wasn't here to reminisce. He had already sowed the seeds of doubt and the time would come when he would be able to expose Albus Dumbledore and his machinations. However that time was not now.

"So now we know that Harry is not a Squib and is in fact a very healthy young man why don't we end this meeting. Some of us have work to do you know," Sirius stated, shocking the group from their stupor.

"What about Har-Hadrian?" Lily whimpered from her place in her husband's shoulder.

"What about me?" Harry asked coldly. "It's not like you could have cared less about me for years."

The Potters again flinched at the tone and bluntness used by their son. They wanted nothing more than to wrap the boy up and never let him go. They _needed _to show them how sorry they were. However Albus spoke up, broken away from his silent musings.

"But Harry my boy," Dumbledore started, ignoring his request to address him formally. "Lily and James are your parents. Surely you'd forgive them and move back home would you not?" The Headmaster had put on his grandfatherly facade, one that many a student could not refuse. He was surprised when Harry turned to him with loathing in his eyes.

"When the time comes, I will be going home Headmaster," Harry replied ignoring the look of victory that crossed Dumbledore's face. "When the Winter Hols come around I will be returning to the home I've known for the last few years with the man who cares for me as a father should." He looked up to Sirius with a warm smile on his face while Sirius squeezed his shoulders and smiled back with watery eyes.

The Potters watched the conversation and subsequent reaction in a mixture of sadness and happiness. They were sad that their son felt the way he did about them, but happy that he had found a true home with Sirius.

"Har-Hadrian, are you truly happy with Sirius?" James asked sadly. At the boy's nod he continued. "Harry you don't know how sorry we are and how horrible we feel about what we've done." He pauses as another tear runs down his cheek as he pulls his sobbing wife closer to him. "We will not fight it if you want to stay with Sirius. However in the years to come, we will prove ourselves to you. We will show you how sorry we are and despite how hard it will surely be, we will work to earn your forgiveness," he said in a firm, solemn voice surprising both Sirius and Harry. Little did the Potter's know, that the ice that formed around Harry's heart had begun to thaw slightly.

—

_One week later_

Albus Dumbledore sat in the staff lounge fo the annual first week staff meeting. Aside from the disastrous meeting with the Potters and the following tongue-lashing he had received from his two senior professors and James and Lily, the week had gone rather well.

"Welcome everyone to the first staff meeting of the year," he announced jovially, standing up with his arms wide in a welcoming gesture. "Now, is there any student out there showing promise?"

"The usual students Headmaster," Minerva said in a slightly cold tone. She still hadn't forgiven him for his wrongful diagnosis on young Hadrian Potter. He counted his lucky stars that they did not find out about the Magical Binds. "Miss Tonks shows promise in my subject and Percival and Charles Weasley are model students in their respective years."

The Weasley family was, like the Potters before the school year started, amongst his greatest supporters. A family so entrenched in the Light that they believed he could do no wrong.

"And what of the first years? I know its only been a week but has any of them shown much skill?"

"The children of Old Pureblood families are naturally above the Muggleborns and most half-bloods in terms of knowledge and control. With their ancient wards blocking Ministry sensors, its no surprise that they've studied and used Magic before," Filius answered with a bit of disdain in his voice. It was no surprise that the diminutive professor held some resentment towards older Pureblood families as he was barely able to attend Hogwarts in his time due to being half-Goblin.

"Roger Davies, Cedric Diggory and Cassius Warrington have shown promise in Charms, Herbology, and Potions respectively as well," Pomona Sprout announced to the Headmaster. No surprises there as all three students had fathers high up in the Ministry.

"No surprises then?" Albus asked.

"Actually..." Minerva began a bit reluctantly. "Hadrian Potter is above and beyond any first year in terms of knowledge, talent and power."

"Oh?" The aged Headmaster responded.

"Indeed," she said with the other professors nodding along with her. Even the recalcitrant visage of Severus Snape broke into a grudging respect for the lad. "Every task I have assigned him gets completed on his first attempt and I swear just yesterday, he transfigured a match into a needle nonverbally!"

"It is the same for my clas Headmaster," Filius continued. "You know we do not began casting the Levitation Charm until Halloween time yet he already has it down pat."

"I have to, albeit reluctantly agree Albus," Severus said. "Young Mr. Potter has shown a great deal of knowledge in Potion-Making and has an advanced understanding in ingredients and how they react to each other."

This surprised Albus. He, of course knew of Severus' hatred of James Potter and it surprised him that he was talking of the spitting image of James with no contempt.

Despite Severus foregoing his grudge of James Potter, he had nearly relapsed when the Potter Scion had entered his classroom for the first time. The almost identical face of James Potter with Lily Evans' eyes looked back at him as he took a seat. As Severus had begun the roll call and finally reached 'P' he harshly called out for Potter only to see the boy flinch and tense. Severus had looked into the boys eyes and saw something behind the emerald coloring that haunted him. The eyes had somehow become alert and deadened at the same time. He recognized those eyes. They were the same eyes that Severus Snape saw every time he looked in a mirror from the age of six. The eyes of an abused child.

—

_December 1988_

Harry sat next to Nym and Fleur on a beach near Fleur's home. The Blacks and company had made it a bit of a tradition to travel to France for the Winter Holidays and they were all currently enjoying time together on the beach. Though not nearly warm enough to be in swimsuits, the large gathering was able to dress in pants and long sleeved shirts and be comfortable in the 13 degree C day.

"It is so pretty! The school looks like a Chateau but is not too big. We are separated by year rather than houses and have a large common room for each year. The food is good though not as good as Flopsy's cooking," the petite Veela had been rambling on and on about Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Harry thought her rambling was very cute, especially because her Veela ancestry had made her look younger than eleven. She had told them that she had been teased a bit because of it, but he newest friend Aimee had stood up to the bullies for her.

"Alright Frenchie we get it," Nym said teasing Fleur with the hated nickname Nym had generously bestowed upon her.

"Don't call me that _Nymphadora_," Fleur shot right back. Dora was about to react as her hair shifted to an angry red.

"Ladies please don't fight! It's almost Christmas cant we just get along?" Harry said exasperated. Sirius, who was sitting nearby tried to hold in a chuckle while Remus and Narcissa sat with amused expressions on their faces. Remus and Narcissa had been together for a few years now and Harry was expecting him to pop the question any day now.

—

The days at Chateau Delacour passed by quickly. Both Harry and Nym did not realize how much they missed Fleur and the Delacours until they had arrived a few days ago. When they had arrived, Fleur had greeted them with a bright smile and happiness in her eyes that caused both young Brits to experience a pang in their chests.

Christmas came and as Harry was sleeping, a small blonde bullet flew into his room and jumped on his bed excitedly, waking him from the grips of Morpheus. Said blonde bullet began to jump and down on Harry's back as he grumbled and tried to bury himself deeper into the mattress.

"Gabrielle!" A scolding voice came from his open doorway. Harry poked his head from under the duvet to see Fleur standing there with her arms crossed across her chest and a foot tapping impatiently. Gabrielle just giggled and sat cross legged on Harry's supine form. If Harry was not the victim of the absurdly early wake-up call he probably would have found this relatively amusing.

"Awww Fleur! It's Christmas! It's presents time!" Little Gabby exclaimed with a pout toward her older sister.

"Then why don't you go wake up Maman and Papa? I'm sure the sooner they are up, the sooner you can open your presents," Fleur reasoned with the younger girl who looked like a smaller version of her. Gabby immediately brightened before jumping off of Harry's bed and skipping down the hall, giggling loudly.

"Thanks for that," Harry said gratefully as he escaped from the duvet he had cocooned himself in.

"Not a problem 'Arry," Fleur responded as she moved to sit on the bed beside Harry. Though Fleur and the rest of the Delacours spoke English very well, Fleur seemed to have the heaviest accent, especially when speaking Harry's name. Harry could not help but notice that Fleur seemed a little anxious and upset than she normally would.

"Fleur are you alright?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Oui...no...oui...I don't know," Fleur stammered.

"Fleur? Harry?" A sleepy voice came from the door. Both pre-teens turned to see Nym looking worriedly at the pair and noticing the distress in her friend's eyes. She quickly moved to sit next to Fleur putting the young Veela in between Harry and herself. "What is it Fleur?"

Fleur looked down and sniffled before clearing her throat. "I'm...I'm scared. When I turn fourteen, you know what will happen to me. My body will change from this to a young woman and my Veela nature will come out. My Maman has told me stories about what happened when she went through her maturity and how she lost most of her female friends because of their jealously. She told me how she could barely be in the room with most men without being accosted or lusted after. I'm scared that when I go through this change I will lose you two," she finished with tears in her eyes and running down her cheeks.

Harry and Nym looked at each other and Harry saw that she also had wet eyes. They both reached to put their arms over the French girl's shoulders and held her tightly as she silently wept. After a few moments Fleur straightened up and recovered, her Veela Magic cleansing the tear tracks and her previously red eyes.

"Fleur, I only really have two friends in my life and their both sitting on this bed with me. There is no way I would let something like you Allure tear apart our friendship. If I have to study Occlumency harder and become a Master Occlumens before we turn fourteen to fight it off then that is what I will do," Harry declared vehemently with Nym nodding on in agreement.

"I'm with Harry. Though I'm not in the exact same boat as you, I expect that many of the boys at school will desire me only because I could look like anyone in the world. I've already been on the receiving end of many jealous glares from the girls and I'm only twelve for Merlin's sake! Though I most likely won't face the same discrimination that Veela face, I hope that nothing will come between us as friends," Tonks said passionately.

Fleur looked back and forth from Harry to Nym and saw the determination and caring looks her two best friends wore and promptly broke down again. She wrapped them up in a three way hug and sobbed in their shoulders thanking every deity that came to her mind for such wonderful friends. She could only hope that they all remained in each other's life for the rest of their days.

Fleur pulled away from them and did something that surprised all three of them. She leaned in to Nym and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips before turning to a gaping Harry and doing the same thing before brushing prettily and running out of the room leaving two slack-jawed pre-teens behind.

—

_June 1989_

Harry's first year at Hogwarts came to a quick end with nothing of note happening. Due to his lessons prior to Hogwarts, he was easily able to ascend to the top of his class earning Outstandings in all of his subjects. Though he was a studious child, he enjoyed his free time. On a suggestion from Sirius and approval from Remus and Cissy, he tried out for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team and successfully made it as Seeker. With his seemingly natural talent on a broom and his almost supernatural instincts, he led Ravenclaw to an undefeated year and the Quidditch Cup while Slytherin took the House Cup.

After each Quidditch match , he would meet with his loved ones that had come to support him. Sirius, Bella, the Tonks, and Cissy made it to every one of his matches while Remus only made two of them due to them being scheduled around the full moon and leaving him too ill to attend. What surprised Harry the most was the Potters showing up at his matches with his brother. To say it had been awkward would be an understatement. The Potters, deservedly, wallowed in their shame and guilt around him which brought him no small amount of pleasure. However Daniel Potter, the proclaimed Boy Who Lived, surprised Harry, and not in a good way. The eight year old thought he was God's gift to the world and turned out to be exceedingly arrogant. He barely spoke with Harry and his family and refused to even look at the Black sisters, no doubt due to the prejudices instilled by members of the 'Light,' namely Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix.

—

_July 31st 1989 _

Another year of Hogwarts came and went with nothing of note occurring. Harry had once again won all four of Ravenclaw's quidditch matches and came out on the top of his class. As time progressed he found his lessons to become exceedingly easy as his outside lessons helped him advance faster than even the Pureblood children. As a twelve, going on thirteen, year old, he was already beyond O.W.L due to his incredible Magical Power and determination to be the absolute best. He felt as if there would always be a part of him that wanted, no, _needed _to be the very best. And so he trained. Aunt Bella, Sirius and Remus ran him ragged with with Magical and physical combat. Remus helped him learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in case he ever lost his wand in a fight. He had claimed that Witches and Wizards rely on their wands too much and would most likely become complacent if their opponent was disarmed. With the way he grew up, Harry took to the Martial Art like a fish to water. He never wanted to be in a position where he would be seen as weak. Not after what Petunia and Vernon Dursley had done to him.

Despite his continued and impressive success in his training, it certainly was not the biggest thing to happen to Harry that year. No, Harry's second year of Hogwarts was the year his body decided to notice girls. Specifically he noticed two girls and both of them were his closest friends. While Fleur would be going through her Veela Maturation the summer before her fourth year, Harry still recognized her as being an absolutely brilliant and compassionate witch. He had fulfilled his promise to her and reinforced his Occlumency shields to be nigh-impenetrable so he knew that any developing allure she was emanating had no effect on him. He also saw Nym growing to be a wonderful young woman as well. She had a wicked sense of humor, a beautiful heart-shaped face, and she was his very best friend. Harry noticed many of the older boys giving her lustful looks and it took every ounce of will power for him not to permanently maim them.

The morning of July 31st 1989 shone bright and early for Harry. It was his thirteenth birthday and the day had finally come where he completed the final ritual that disintegrated the Magical binds and allowed him full access to his power. As he exited the Grimmauld Place ritual room, he could feel the Magic flowing through his very being. It felt as if his Magic had been almost non existent before he had completed the ritual. He looked at the heavy oak dining room table and just thought of the table rising a few inches off the ground and not two seconds later, it had done just that. He then did a complete 180 and turned back in the direction of the ritual room but instead turned to the dueling room.

Upon entering the room, he set the room to one of its highest levels of difficulty and unsheathed the Elder Wand from its holster on his wrist. When he had gotten the wand from Ollivanders, the aged wandmaker neglected to put the Trace on it saying it would be 'sacrilege' to do so. As the various training dummies began firing their lightning quick spells, Harry wielded the Deathstick with almost inhuman accuracy and fluidity. The wand hummed is his hand with each spell as he maneuvered his way out of the path of most of the oncoming spells. Despite his astounding skills, Harry was not perfect, evident from the several bruises and welts courtesy of the powerful stinging hexes delivered by the training dummies.

'I'm not good enough,' Harry though as he rubbed a rather large welt on his elbow. 'I have to be stronger."

Harry stopped the simulation, panting from the exertion he had just put himself through. Contrary to the Legend, the Elder Wand was not an invincible tool that held a vast amount of power. Instead, it served as an overly powerful foci, that allowed the wielder to push more power through than most wands were capable of. How this came to be, Harry had no idea but he figured he would not question the luck he had in receiving it.

After a quick cleaning charm, he made his way to the sitting room where he knew Bella and Sirius would be awaiting him. When he reached the room he was happy to see that only Bella had been waiting for him as apparently Sirius had to be called into work.

"Aunt Bella, you seem to have a lot of knowledge about rituals. Do you know of any rituals to make someone stronger, both physically and Magically?" Harry asked.

Bella took a moment to study him and then thought hard about all the rituals she had read or heard about.

"There are quite a few out there. Most of them are Dark in nature. I know we've talked about the silliness of labeling things Light and Dark, but most of those rituals need the sacrifice of a human so those would be off the table," Bella said pausing to think again. "There might be one that would be better but I think it involves killing an animal instead. I'd have to look it up in the Black Library but if it proves to bear fruit then I will let you know."

Thank you Aunt Bella," Harry said, smiling at the possibility of becoming stronger despite his rigorous efforts thus far.

A week later, Bella had found Harry in his room at Black Cottage finishing up his summer homework. She had finally found the ritual they had discussed and after much deliberation, she decided to tell Harry about it.

"Harry dear can I talk to you?" Bella asked as she gently knocked on his open door.

"Of course Aunt Bella, please sit," Harry replied politely.

"Thank you. Do you remember what we talked about last week after we broke your last bind?" She asked receiving a nod in response. "Well I found what you were asking for."

"Really?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Yes though much of it was what I had described. The ritual revolves around the killing or sacrifice of an animal, the chanting of the incantation and the absorption of the creature's blood. It's rather simple but the boost you would receive depends solely on the animal that is killed. You could not use a mouse as your sacrifice and expect a large boost in power. Also, notice earlier I said 'Killing or sacrifice'? That's because the animal could either be sacrificed in a ritual circle, or killed in combat. There have been a few documented instances in which Magical Creatures are used in the ritual so it does not matter what animal is used," Bella said taking a long breath after her long explanation.

Harry thought for a bit after hearing about the ritual and sighed. He looked at the requirements in the book and found them rather straight forward. He had asked Aunt Bella any question that came to mind and decided that he would not rush anything if he were to complete the ritual. He would bide his time and when the right time arose, he would do what needed to be done.

—

_November 1990_

Harry's third year at Hogwarts was proving to be his most difficult year yet, he realized as he made his way back to the castle after a particularly grueling Quidditch practice. Though he still found the core subjects to be easy, his electives were more difficult as he had little experience of them in his previous studies. He had elected to take Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures as his electives. Arithmancy and Ancient Runes were the two most difficult of the available electives but he found the challenge to be more rewarding than an easy 'O' that Muggle Studies or Divination or rumored to give out.

Despite the challenges his new classes provided, his sour mood had nothing to do with them. No, his bad mood was because of his oldest and dearest friend, Nymphadora Tonks. Over the summer he had started to notice her in a way that was unlike the friendship they shared. Every time he saw her, he experienced his heartbeat quickening and his stomach tightening. Especially when she smiled. To him, her smile could light up a room and he made it his goal to make her smile more often.

However earlier in the year she had accepted a date to Hogsmeade with Charlie Weasley and it crushed Harry. He was still trying to sort through the feelings he was developing between his two best friends but quickly realized he was becoming rather territorial over them and that was something he could not do. He knew both witches were capable of defending themselves from overly touchy teenagers. How could they not be? Fleur was a Veela destined to be among the most beautiful women in the world and daughter to the Head Auror of the French DMLE. Nym was a Metamorphmagus that could change her looks to match anyone she had ever seen and her second cousin was the Head Auror of the British DMLE. Though both were well trained and capable, Harry could not help but feel protective of them and vowed to crush anyone who harmed them in any way, be it physically or emotionally.

Harry's thoughts brought him to a corridor that often went unused. He was understandably surprised when he heard two male voices talking ahead of him. He quickly tapped his wand against his head and felt the tell-tale feeling of the Disillusionment Charm settle in. He slowly moved closer to the source of the voices until he could understand what the voices were saying.

"Oh come on Jason, she's snogging the big Weasley bloke. That's a losing bet if I've ever heard one," voice one complained.

"Don't wuss out on me now Clark," the voice identified as Jason replied. "Twenty-five galleons to you if you manage to snag the Tonks bird and shag her."

As Harry heard this, his anger spiked like never before. The wall he was leaning on began to heat up as his Magic swirled around him.

"I'll even give you more time," Jason continued. "You have to do this in the time until we graduate. It gives you just under two years."

Harry used his Occlumency to calm himself and looked at the situation analytically. He was in a corridor that was seldom used with two prats that were talking about using his best friend inappropriately for a couple of galleons. Just thinking about it raised his hackles as he planned his attack. There was no way in his mind that these two arseholes would escape the situation unpunished. Though they were older by three years, Harry had the Magical Power that dwarfed full fledged wizards and was even able to duel his Godfather, the Head Auror, to a draw more often than not and even beat him a fair few times. He told himself however he would wait for the response from the voice known as Clark before acting.

"Fine. I'll get it done before we leave and then I'll be twenty-five galleons richer. I bet she'll prove to be quite the Nymph in the sack don't you think? You better not back down from this," Clark warned and that was all Harry needed to hear.

"Gentlemen," his voice came out as a cold hiss. "I hope I didn't hear what I think I did."

The two older boys were startled from the sudden interruption but quickly hid their surprise and sneered at the younger boy.

"What's it to you Potter?" Jason asked.

"You've insulted my friend's honor with your disgusting bet, I must rectify that," Harry growled menacingly as his wand slid into his hand from his wrist holster.

The boys' postures quickly changed from arrogant to wariness. The acknowledged the fact that they were quite older than the Potter kid, however the look in his eyes promised pain as they started to glow, seemingly changing from emerald green to the sickly color that was associated with the Killing Curse. They quickly drew their wands and had them at the ready before unleashing, what looked to be in their eyes, a torrent of spells toward the boy.

In Harry's eyes, the spellfire coming towards him was nothing but a slow stream of schoolyard hexes. Disappointed, he merely swatted the incoming spells away as he closed the distance between them, keeping an eye out for any potentially dangerous spells coming from the pair.

Jason Wainwright and Clark Allen started the day leisurely. Being the weekend they slept in and hung out all morning discussing the prettiest birds in the school like normal teenagers when Jason brought up the idea of shagging the resident Metamorph for a bet. Their conversation had been overheard and now they were fighting exhaustion as they fired spells at the younger student before them. Annoyance turned into fear as they continued to tire themselves out while the boy advanced on them, effortlessly swatting their spells to the side and simply dodging if a spell made it past his swat. As Hadrian Potter continued his advance using Magic that should have been impossible for a third year, he decided to try and end the lopsided duel before it could _really _get out of hand.

"_Diffindo!_" Jason cried pointing his wand at Harry's lower body when he was only a few feet away. Harry, surprised at the dangerous spell despite being on the lookout, was too close to dodge and felt the Severing Charm connect with his abdomen. He was lucky that the spell lacked the power to do actual damage as the lull in spellfire alerted Harry that both boys were breathing heavily and near exhaustion.

The pain caused by the pathetic Severing Charm never came as Harry had felt worse in his short life. A mere meter away from his targets, Harry reached out and punched Clark Allen in the nose sending the older boy to the floor in pain, his wand falling from his hand rolling out of reach. He turned his attention to Wainwright and grabbed his left wrist with his left hand before driving his forearm into the boy's elbow, dislocating it. His cry of pain went unheard, failing to escape the corridor due to the silencing charm Harry had put up before the fight began.

Harry then stepped his left leg in between Wainwright's, wrapped it around the shin of the boy before diving forwards in a roll. They had completely rolled over by the time Jason had recovered enough to realize what was happening. Harry had his left shin between Jason's left calf and hamstring and held his foot in his hands. He placed the crook of his right leg over his own ankle for leverage and pulled hard on his opponent's foot while pushing out with his left leg.

Pain.

Excruciating pain is the only thing Jason Wainwright felt as Harry locked in a modified version of a calf slicer, a more brutal submission hold he learned in one of his Jiu Jitsu classes. The move put an extreme amount of pressure on the opponent's calf, using their own shin bone. Harry had the hold locked in for about thirty excruciating seconds before releasing it, hearing Clark get to his feet in search for his wand.

Clark had recovered from the surprise punch and ignoring the blood pouring from his nose, went in search for his fallen wand. He reached it only for a foot to come down, trapping it between a boot and the stone of the castle floor. He looked up to see the still enraged face of Hadrian Potter looking at him as if he were an insect.

Harry kicked the wand away before roughly grabbing the bleeding boy by the chin, forcing him to look into the green eyes that held so much hatred.

"Now what am I going to do with you?" He asked softly. His burning eyes betraying the gentle tone of voice.

"Please...please, we're sorry. Please no more," Clark whimpered. He hadn't gotten it nearly as badly as his friend but the pain was enough to submit before the younger teen.

"Have you learned your lesson?" Harry asked again in that deceivingly soft tone. "I'm not sure if you have. Maybe a little more teaching would do you good."

"No!" He cried out, ignoring the tears of fear streaming down his face. "We won't do anything to the Tonks girl I swear it! We won't even look at her! Just please don't hurt us."

Harry looked from the crying boy in his hand, and the broken boy on the ground, tears streaming down both of their faces as Jason cradled his ruined leg with his good arm. Harry nodded.

"That was quite a fall you and Mr. Wainwright suffered, Mr. Allen. I think it would be wise if you made your way to the Hospital Wing so Madam Pomfrey can fix you up," Harry said calmly. "Rest assured however, if my name is involved in this in any way I will know and the next time we meet up you may never be able to walk again. And if you so much as _think _about Tonks I will cut you from balls to brain and feed you your intestines."

The terrified boy looked into Harry's eyes and so no trace of deceit. He quickly nodded and went to help his fallen friend to the infirmary. Both silently vowed to obey their defeater and never bring it up again.

Harry watched as the two sixth years hobbled away from the corridor after recovering their wands. The entire confrontation lasted about five minutes and his alert wards stood undisturbed. He knew he was a vindictive bastard. After all, his excuses not to press charges on the rotten Dursleys were lies in favor for his real plan. Revenge. He would destroy their family if it was the last thing he did. He would eviscerate anyone who threatened his family.

—

_July 31st 1991_

'This is a horrible idea' Harry thought as he and Sirius arrived in the large front yard of Potter Manor. Despite Harry's ability to Apparate by himself, he and his family decided that it was a skill worth keeping secret. Harry looked up and felt the similar feeling of resentment creeping in. This large house was supposed to be his home but thanks to a manipulative old coot and his own gullible parents, he was "raised" in Hell on Earth.

Moments later Andromeda and Nym Apparated behind them. Nym saw the expression on Harry's face and slid her hand into his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Harry's heart clenched at the action and squeezed back in response, deciding he would not let go until she did.

They were at the Potter's home because somehow Lily and James convinced him and Sirius that they should host a joint birthday party for Harry and Daniel. It was Harry's fourteenth birthday whereas his younger brother had turned eleven the day prior. Daniel's eleventh birthday was of course, a historic day in Wizarding Britain as it signified the age in which their young hero would begin his career at Hogwarts.

Harry had been dreading this day. While the Potters had been keeping their word by trying to earn his forgiveness, he was still uncomfortable around them, especially his younger brother. Every time they had spent time together, Daniel had been the center of attention and whenever people's attention strayed from him, he would throw a small tantrum and mention one of his _supposed _accomplishments to regain it. Whenever the Potters stayed behind after a Quidditch Match to congratulate Harry, Daniel would usually state that he could fly better than him or even catch the snitch faster. Harry knew he had been sprouting nonsense from his arse. After all he was the youngest Quidditch player in a century and he was quite confident in his growing skill set. He did however still find it annoying.

As they reached the door, it opened to reveal a smiling, yet somewhat haggard looking Lily Potter.

"Hello everyone please come in! Sirius, Andi its wonderful to see you again. You as well Nymphadora, you're looking as beautiful as ever," she stated with cheer in her voice. She turned to look at Harry and her face changed to convey sadness and regret. "Hadrian," Lily whispered to her eldest son. "Happy birthday"

"Thank you," Harry said with a short bow of his head while squeezing Nym's hand a little harder. He was incredibly thankful when she squeezed back in support.

Lily's eyes grew a little misty as she welcomed the party of four into the manor. The party was in full swing when they entered the large ballroom that had been set up with an air of comfort in mind, rather than formality. Couches were spread about around the room along with high top tables adorning the perimeter of the room. Longer tables at one end of the room looked ready to buckle under the burden of massive food trays ready for consumption. Guests were packed into the large room but there was still plenty of space to maneuver without bumping into everyone.

Harry was mostly able to discern who was there for whom. There was a preposterous amount of Ministry Officials in attendance, no doubt there to gain the attention of the 'Boy Who Lived'. The Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge was there along with Bartemius Crouch, Ludo Bagman, Amos Diggory, and even Amelia Bones. Harry remembered that Amelia was the guardian of her niece Susan, who would be starting Hogwarts along with Daniel.

There was a smattering of teens and preteens on one side of the room. Harry saw the tell-tale red hair of the Weasley children first. He first noticed, much to his chagrin, Charlie Weasley as Nym had released his hand and made her way over to him. Charlie had just graduated from Hogwarts and expressed interest in working on a dragon preserve. That had resulted in a rather large argument for the couple of about ten months. Harry had tried to be there for his friend whenever she was upset about it, just wanting her to be happy, but guiltily hoping that he would go off to the continent. He then saw the Weasley twins, who he had been introduced to in his second year. He had enlisted their help to cause a rather large ruckus that served as a distraction to lure Filch from his office. From there, Harry had easily snuck in and nicked the Marauder's Map back from the moody old man. Sirius and Remus had told him that the caretaker had confiscated it from them in the last week of their seventh year and now it had been reclaimed. Harry noticed the two youngest redheads standing closer to Daniel than the others.

There was no doubt in Harry's mind that the majority of the guests were here for Daniel. He did not have many friends, mostly acquaintances. Nym and Fleur were no doubt his best friends, and he yearned for something more between them. The Weasley twins along with Cedric Diggory and Roger Davies could be considered friends as well. He gained most of his acquaintances at school as it was clear to the student body that he was a powerful wizard and deserved to be respected. The ladies on the Gryffindor Quidditch team were friendly along with their captain Oliver Wood. Wood never missed an opportunity to try and squeeze some of his team's Quidditch tactics from him whenever they talked.

Harry was about to go over and say hello to Fred and George when he heard his name being screamed from the entryway.

He barely had time to turn around before a diminutive blonde missile had run into him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"_Hello Gabrielle_," Harry greeted in French. Cissy had been instructing him in various languages and the beaming smile on her face made it all worth it.

"_Hello Harry! Happy Birthday! Sirius told us about the party and invited us along. There was no way I would miss my brother's birthday!_" The six year old babbled in her native tongue much to the amusement of those around her. Harry was touched by her referring to him as her brother and it brought a sense of pride to him. It was then that he noticed that most of the males in the room, and one young woman, had been staring at the entryway with their mouths wide open. Some of them were even drooling. Harry looked up and saw a visage of beauty the likes he had never seen before. Long, silvery blonde hair flowing to her tight waist, he skin reminded him of a porcelain doll, not a blemish on her. She was dressed in a pair of jeans that looked as if they were painted on her long, shapely legs and a blouse that accentuated her impossible hourglass figure. The males in the room continued to ogle at her as Harry laid a kiss on top of Gabrielle's head, took her hand and began the trek towards the beauty.

Harry noticed that Fleur looked at him in apprehension and nervousness. He could understand her as her Veela maturity had occurred last month and her Allure had proven to be quite powerful. He did feel a slight pull on his Occlumency shields but he was able to fight it as if it had been nothing, a side effect from spending so much time with her in the years prior. As Harry reached her, she had a shy smile on her perfect face.

"Fleur," Harry whispered. "You are beautiful."

A rosy tint appeared on her cheeks as a happy tear escaped her eyes. She knew he was able to resist her allure as he had neither turned into a drooling mess nor had he gone to extreme lengths to impress her. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a strong hug which he quickly returned. This hug was like nothing Harry had experienced before. She was so warm and soft in all the right places. Her large breasts pressed against his and would have caused him to turn scarlet had he not had the training to keep his emotions in check.

They broke it up a moment later to see that the party had resumed and instead of blatantly staring, the men had taken to look at her out of the corner of their eyes. Daniel Potter however was glaring daggers at his older brother. The anger and jealousy was clear to see on his face but Harry just ignored it. Nym approached and hugged Fleur as well as receiving a kiss on each cheek forcing her hair to turn red.

The party went on for hours and Harry finally got more comfortable around his birth parents. He had spent the majority of the afternoon with Fleur and Nym, when she wasn't with Charlie, and had been on the receiving end of many jealous glares, mostly from his own brother and one Ronald Weasley. The opening of presents had been rather uneventful. Harry mostly received new clothes and books for gifts and Sirius had gifted him with a pitch black hide jacket that resembled a modern muggle leather jacket. He did notice that Daniel had received many more gifts than he did, and the Potters had not gotten him anything.

Harry didn't want to cause a scene and mention it but after all the progress made, he couldn't help but feel hurt that they had once again forgotten about him, despite the fact that they had made the party half his. He did not care about the content of a present but merely the thought behind it. Harry and his party were about to leave with the Delacours, who were staying in England for a couple weeks when James called out to him.

"Hadrian? Do you mind if we talk to you for a moment?" He asked.

Harry bit back a scathing reply. While the crowd had thinned out considerably, there were still a few prominent members of their society. He nodded and followed James and Lily into an informal sitting room.

The three of them sat on couches opposite each other. Harry looked at them with an impassive expression and secretly reveled in the tense atmosphere.

"Hadrian have you ever wondered why your mother and I never had another child?" James asked out of the blue. Harry couldn't hide the surprise that flickered across his face and merely shook his head.

"We're both relatively young, and both of us wanted a large family when we first got together. Over the years however we decided to stop at two," James stated. "Do you know why?"

Harry again shook his head, confused as to the nature of this odd conversation.

"We decided to not have anymore children because we came to the realization that we are poor parents," Lily admitted sadly.

Harry definitely couldn't contain his shock from the bold statement. This conversation had thrown for a loop and he felt a headache forming.

"We know what we did to you was wrong. No, it was beyond wrong. It was abhorrent and despicable and we've been trying to make up for it and you have every right to never forgive us. When we were raising Daniel, we really mucked it up. We go caught up in the fame that came with his title, forgot about or eldest son, and raised an arrogant child. Don't get us wrong we love the both of you, but we did a poor job of raiding Daniel," Lily said morosely.

"It didn't help that Dumbledore encourage us to bask in the fame, give out interviews and allow those blasted books to be published. I'm not blaming it all on the Headmaster but we're beginning to question his motives when it come to our family," James continued.

"Not that I don't appreciate this lovely chat we're having, but why did you call me in here?" Harry asked, getting a little fidgety.

"Right," James started before reaching behind his couch and pulling out a parcel. "By the subtle glares you've been given us today, I'm sure you noticed that there was no present from us out there for you. That's because our gift to you should be kept away from prying eyes and only shown to those you trust implicitly." He handed the light package to Harry who opened it to fins a shimmering bit of cloth flowing through his fingers. The cloth was silver and light as air, flowing through his fingers almost like water. When he lifted it to see it better, he noticed it was a cloak.

"The Potter Invisibility Cloak. Passed down from father to firstborn son for generations. It was rumored to come from the union of Potter and Peverell so many years ago but it was never actually proven," James stated as he passed on a special family heirloom. He could still remember the day, so many years ago when his father Charlus gifted it to him. So much has happened since then, including but not limited to Charlus' death at the hands of Lord Voldemort himself.

"We don't want you thinking we are trying to buy your forgiveness by giving this to you," Lily said softly. "We know we haven't earned your forgiveness yet and we accept that. We know it has been and will continue to be an uphill battle, but we also know that if you do forgive us in the future we will know what we have earned it. You are an exceptional person, Hadrian. You are wiser than your years and we will trust your judgement."

Nobody noticed that an angry Daniel Potter had walked into their conversation and heard the entire thing.

—-

Hours later Harry sat in the sitting room of Black cottage with a butter beer in hand. Dora sat on the couch across him in a mixture of excitement and anger while Fleur was stretched out on his couch with her head comfortably in his lap, the fingers of his free hand combing through her silver tresses. He could understand the excitement in Nym but could not decipher the angry eyes she kept shooting at him and Fleur.

"How are you not excited Frenchie? Sirius said he had another present for Harry that would be for us as well," Dora demanded. She was excited about participation in Harry's final present but could not help but to feel a mixture of anger and jealousy as Harry caressed the straight hair of the Veela.

"Well Nymphadora," she responded, ignoring Dora's eyes narrowing. "Considering I helped Sirius with the gift, I'm quite sure I know what it is. Sadly I cannot partake."

"What do you mean-" Dora started but was interrupted by Sirius bursting into the room with a smile on his face.

"Evening kiddos! Good to see you're all nice and cozy," he said with a wink towards Harry who proceeded to blush. "Well I have your last present for the day and in my humble opinion, its the best!" He then pulled out two vials of potion that looked almost like water, but a little thicker.

"This is the Animagus Revealer Potion," he declared happily. "Just drop a strand of your hair into it, wait till the color changes, and choke it down. Then you'll enter a dreamlike state and hopefully, unless you don't have one, your animagus form will appear to you. Do not fret if you don't have a form. If everyone did than there would be a lot more than there are."

He handed a vial to Nym and Harry before sitting in his favorite chair, which happened to be a Muggle La-Z Boy.

"Wait. Why isn't Fleur taking one?" Harry asked.

"I'm no slouch in Potions, but this one is quite difficult to brew. I contacted Fleur, as I knew her mother owns an apothecary in Paris and Apolline helped me brew it," Sirius said.

"I cannot become an Animagus because I am a Veela," Fleur continued taking Sirius' prompting. "When extremely angered, Veela can turn into a large avian creature, similar to a Harpy. It is why some label us as half-breeds. Like werewolves, we are unable to turn into multiple creatures."

Nym and Harry nodded their heads solemnly and ripped a strand of hair each before placing them in their vials and drinking them down.

—

Harry woke and noticed that he was not on the couch he had passed out on, but rather the cold ground of a forest. Despite the thick canopy of leaves above him, there was a few inches of snow covering the ground. He wandered around the trees until he reached a clearing with a clear lake. Something inside of him was telling him to wait by the lake. Lo and behold the bushes on the opposite shore began to rustle and out stepped a monster that should only exist in nightmares.

To say it was a wolf would be an understatement. It was huge. At least five feet tall from paw to its highest point and more than seven feet long from tail to snout. It was covered in pitch black fur and its eyes were an all too familiar green. The fire around its snout was caked in the blood of a recent kill. The large wolf strode to the bank of the lake before dipping down to take a drink.

After the wolf finished, it lifted its head up to look at Harry. Green met green and Harry felt something pass between them, a connection of sorts. That inner Magic of Harry's was him to maintain eye contact and not break it under any circumstance. The wolf's eyes gleamed, then it lifted its head and howled at the moon.

—-

Harry awoke with a gasp as he sat straight up on the couch he had slept on. At first he noted that Sirius and Fleur looked at him with worried looks while Nym was crouching next to him, holding his hand in a death grip.

"What happened?" Harry asked groggily.

"You were out of it for about two hours Harry," Sirius said. Harry thought he looked awfully pale. "Tonks was only out for ten minutes before she found her form. Did you find yours?"

"Yeah I did. It's a great bloody big wolf. Easily the biggest dog I've ever seen. Five feet tall, maybe more and probably seven feet long from tip to tip. Jet black with my eyes," Harry said recalling his dream.

"Merde," Fleur gasped.

"What?" Nym, Harry and Sirius simultaneously.

"What you described is larger than any wolf alive, Magical or not. A wolf that size can only be a Dire Wolf. The legendary beast of North that hunted the Magical Norther tribes to extinction," Fleur said.

"A Dire Wolf? I thought it was impossible to have a Magical Creature as an Animagus?" Sirius asked.

"Dire Wolves were Magical?" Nym asked.

"They were," Sirius confirmed. "Muggles think they were just oversized wolves but they apparently had Magical Properties that weren't all documented."

"Merlin," Harry said breathlessly. "What did you see Nym?"

"I got a fox!" She declared happily. "Probably because I'm so sneaky and not at all clumsy."

They all laughed at her sarcasm and Harry instantly felt better. He was rattled when he heard that he was the first documented Magical Animagus but he figured he would try to keep it a secret for as long as possible so no one loses their shit. He could only think that his last four years at Hogwarts would be interesting, especially with his famous brother entering the fray.


	7. Chapter 7: Year 4 Part 1

A/N: Hey all thanks for sticking by so far. This chapter starts with the start of Harry's 4th year and Daniel's first so things will appear to be more canon. Some events will transpire the same as the books whereas others will not. Again sorry for the delay. Life is catching up to me!

—

_September 1st 1991_

It was September first 1991, 10:17 am BST in London England. The long running King's Cross Train Station was bustling with those making the morning commute to work. Thousands of men and women waited anxiously for their trains to take them where they needed to go, but there was one specific section of the station that held a large gathering of people for an entire different reason.

In between the train platforms nine and ten, was a hidden barrier that held the Magical Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. This platform was alive with hundreds of parents, children and a multitude of news reporters hoping to catch a glimpse and in some cases, a quote, from their eleven year old National Hero. The large scarlet steam engine that was the Hogwarts Express waited patiently to carry her children to the halls of the legendary school.

Despite the large crowd anxiously awaiting the Defeater of the Dark Lord Voldemort, not everyone occupying the platform was eager to meet Daniel Potter.

At the moment, there were only two occupants on the entire train, as even the conductor and trolley witch seemed excited to catch a glimpse of the boy. In the last compartment of the last carriage sat two teenagers. A fourteen year old boy and a girl who had turned fifteen a mere week before the term would start. The boy was very tall for his age, standing at 5'10" with a head full of raven locks. His body was firm and strong with muscles as a result of his fondness for exercising he had developed at the mere age of ten. His face looked almost aristocratic with high cheekbones and emerald green eyes that were almost glowing with power behind them. Seated next to him with her hot pink haired head on his shoulders was his best friend. The young woman had a special gift that allowed her to morph her appearance into almost anything she could imagine. With her drifting off on Harry Potter's shoulder, she could not maintain every aspect of her ability and Harry could see that Nymphadora Tonks' eyes were swollen with a tinge of red around them.

Days prior to their departure to Hogwarts, Nym had received a letter from Charlie Weasley that broke off their nearly year long relationship. Though Harry was friends with Fred and George Weasley, he wanted nothing more than to eviscerate the second eldest Weasley child for making Nym cry.

Harry looked on at the chaos that had overtaken the platform and noticed that cries had erupted from the crowd. The tell tale flashes of cameras went off indicating that the 'Boy Who Lived' had graced them with his presence at long last. Through the crowd, Harry was able to see the black hair of James Potter standing next to his wife. Harry assumed that Daniel was in between them but the boy was too short to be seen through the throngs of admirers.

Harry was still cautious around the Potters. James and Lily had kept their promise and began to earn his forgiveness slowly and steadily. Whenever they saw each other, they would greet him warmly and talk about anything under the sun, making sure to not leave him out of any conversation. This of course ignored his brother to no end. Daniel was still immature and arrogant and had yet to grow out of the phase, or at least Harry hoped it was a phase. Despite being so young, he was able to recall many of his early childhood memories before the Dark Lord attacked their cottage in Godric's Hollow. This memory recall was a result of his Occlumency training. He remembered the happy, smiling baby that Daniel was, and was saddened and annoyed at how his brother turned out. Maybe there was a chance that he would change over the years. With Harry's progress in reconciling with his parents, he could only hope.

Forty five minutes later, the Hogwarts Express had left Platform Nine and Three-Quarters behind and was barreling out of London to the Scottish Highlands. Harry and Nym were joined by a few of their friends while many others stopped by to say hello. The compartment now consisted of the Harry and Nym, Roger Davies from Ravenclaw, Hestia Jones and Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff, and Fred and George Weasley representing Gryffindor. Cassius Warrington and Aaron Vaisey, both Slytherin in their year stopped by and greeted everyone, having become semi-friends with everyone in the compartment. Fred and George were sitting next to each other as usual, and were exchanging whispers, clearly planning their next bout of mayhem.

Halfway through the train ride, just after Cedric left to greet some of his Hufflepuff buddies, there was a knock on their compartment door before it slid open, revealing a bushy haired girl in her plain black Hogwarts robes. With no color and no House insignia, it was clear the young girl was a firstie. Behind her was a slightly chubby boy who seemed to be a little down-trodden.

"Excuse me? Has anyone seen a toad? My friend Neville has lost his," she stated. Harry inwardly groaned on hearing her tone of voice. She sounded way too bossy for his liking, despite being younger than him. That was something he would like to change.

"Neville? Neville Longbottom?" Harry asked, directing his question to the boy in the hallway.

"Yes, that's me," the young boy said glumly.

"Please come in and sit, we'll help you gather your toad, you as well, Miss..."

"Granger, Hermione Granger," she replied. Harry flashed her his most charming smile causing the young witch to blush as she sat down. The older students had expanded their compartment to be considerably more spacious than the others. 'Granger,' he mused. 'Must be a Muggleborn.'

"My name is Hadrian Potter, you both may call me Harry if you'd like," Harry started sowing the seeds he needed as the Potters and Longbottoms were long-time allies. "This lovely young woman next to me is my best friend Tonks. Just Tonks, if you value your life," he stated with a laugh ignoring Nym's blush and shoulder punch. "On her right is her her friend and classmate Hestia Jones, and on your bench is Roger Davies, and Fred and George Weasley. Don't bother trying to figure out which one is which, I've known them for three years and haven't figured it out yet," he whispered conspiratorially, adding a wink and getting another blush from Granger and a chuckle from the Longbottom heir.

"Wait did you say Potter? Like Daniel Potter? I've read about him in some books but they never mentioned you," Granger said tactlessly.

The smile on Harry's face dropped a few notches and Nym narrowed her eyes at the first year student. Neville gave her a slight nudge with his elbow and she immediately realized she had put her foot in her mouth.

"Miss Granger, I'm sorry to inform you but those adventure books about my brother are complete and utter rubbish invented by money hungry mongrels trying to make a quick Galleon. The 'History' books probably contain more falsehoods than the fiction novels." Harry said. "Daniel is going into his first year along with the two of you, I'm sure you're more than welcome to talk to him about it."

Hermione Granger lowered her head in shame and cursed herself, not for the first time, for relying completely on books for her knowledge and her lack of social skills as a result of the bullying she had received in primary school.

"I'm sorry," she muttered meekly.

"Apology accepted Miss Granger, as long as you don't rely so heavily on books for your knowledge," Harry said. "Remember, History is written by the victors. While most books contain factual information, others bend the truth to fit the wanted result of the victor."

Hermione looked thoughtful and realized the older boy had a point. She was not expecting to have her entire worldview shaken up on the train ride to Hogwarts yet here she was.

"You have a point. I suppose I've taken the information I read in books as facts too often without second guessing them," Hermione conceded. "Why are you still calling me Miss Granger?"

"You're a Muggleborn yes?" Harry asked leaning forward in his seat.

Hermione stiffened. Professor McGonoagall had told her of the certain prejudices she would face with her having two non-Magical parents.

"Yes," was her curt reply.

Harry chuckled at her defensive nature. "Relax Miss Granger, no one in this compartment is a blood bigot in any way, shape or form. There is something you must understand however, and I urge you to spread the word to any other Muggleborn you may meet. You were raised as Muggle and you are now entering the Magical World, you are going to see things that may seem backward or barbaric to you. In some cases you are right and others you will be wrong. Go to the library and look for books on our culture before you judge us too harshly."

Hermione was dumbfounded. This boy read her like a picture book. In her limited time in the Magical World, she had seen things that she would describe as backward. She hoped that by studying hard and succeeding, she might be able to help modernize the Wizarding World.

"Think of it this way, imagine that you are moving to a new country, which in this case you are, you would have to speak the official language instead of forcing everyone to speak yours. As a Muggle raised witch, _you _need to adapt to be a part of _our _world. We don't want nor need every aspect of the Muggle world to cross over. We use quills instead of pens because we channel our Magical Signature through feather better for instance. The Pureblood families are on top of our world because they helped found it. I am the heir of two Ancient and Most Noble Houses that can trace their lineage back _before _Merlin. I can see in your eyes that you value knowledge, hence this little lesson. Please don't forget what I told you, it can save your life one day," Harry finished his rant passionately.

The compartment was silent after Harry had finished talking. Hermione mulled over what she had just been told. Again, he was right when he said she was basically an immigrant in a new country. All of this earth shattering information was starting to give her a bit of a headache.

"And to answer your earlier question, I'm still calling you Miss Granger because you haven't given me permission to address you as anything else," Harry said with a twinkle in his eye. On cue, she blushed at him.

"You can all call me Hermione," she said with flushed cheeks.

"And you can all call me Neville as well," the boy spoke up for the first time since entering the compartment.

Everyone smiled at the two newcomers before the twins looked toward Harry.

"Blimey Harry, I've never heard you speak like that before about anything," Twin one said.

"Yeah you even had us on the edge of our seats!" Declared twin two.

Harry laughed. "Well Muggleborns are always at a disadvantage when they enter the Wizarding World so I thought I might try to even the playing field a wee bit. Not to mention the fact that this may piss off some of the bigots in the school so that's a plus as well," Harry stated making everyone laugh.

"Hey aren't you two supposed to be looking for something?" Tonks asked with amused eyes. Both first years' eyes widened and their jaws dropped.

"Oh Merlin you're right! I can't believe I forgot about Trevor! My Great Uncle Algie gave him to me as a gift," Neville bemoaned.

"It's understandable Neville, conversation with me is always this exhilarating," Harry boasted jokingly, receiving another jab to the shoulder, this time by both Roger and Nym. "Alright Neville, I want you to think of Trevor. Bring him up in your mind's eye and recall every single detail you can about him. His eyes, his coloring, his size, how he feels. Everything. As they come to mind, say them out loud. Hopefully that will giver me a proper idea of him and allow me to summon him."

The others looked at him with wide eyes. They all knew that Harry was more advanced than the rest of their age group however the _Summoning Charm _was taught in fourth year, the year Harry was actually entering, and it was said that it was almost impossible to summon something you had never seen. Nym and the Weasley Twins were brought out of their pondering when Neville began to speak softly.

Neville was speaking too low for Nym to hear but she could see Harry was a absorbing every word. He had leaned in close to hear the whispering and had his eyes closed in concentration. A moment passed and Harry stood up with his wand in hand and headed to the corridor, his eyes still closed as he held the image of Trevor in his mind. With a rather detailed description of the large toad, he focused his intent into his Magic and moved his wand in an upside-down 'U' before chanting "_Accio_" softly.

The compartment waited with bated breath. The Weasley Twins looked impressed and excited to see a bit of power from their friend. Roger Davies looked on with a neutral expression. He had shared all of his classes with Harry and was unsurprised that the prodigy could preform such a difficult feat of Magic. The Summoning Charm is known for being a part of the fourth year curriculum and despite having not learned it yet from Professor Flitwick, there was no doubt in Roger's mind that Harry could successfully cast it.

'Hell he could probably out cast the entirety of the seventh year class,' Roger thought with no small amount of envy.

As expected by the eldest compartment occupants, a large toad came flying through the hallways towards Harry, leaving cries of shock and disgust in its wake. Harry handed the large amphibian to its wide eyed owner.

"Best you keep an eye on that little bugger Neville. Hogwarts is rather large and I'm sure our Potions Master would like to use him for potions ingredients if given half a chance," Harry said smiling at the younger boy.

The majority of the train ride passed by pleasantly with the older students passing off their wisdom and advice to the ickle firsties. The soon to be first years seemed to relish in the tales being told to them. They both enjoyed the Weasley Twins recounting their best pranks though Hermione attempted to look disapproving, the slight twitch of lips upward showed how amused she really was. The joyous mood was interrupted when the compartment door abruptly slid open to reveal three boys with their Hogwarts robes already on. It was obvious from their lack of House Crest and colored tie that these three were entering their first year as well.

The three boys stood next to each other. On each of the ends stood boys that were far larger than the average third year. Harry's intensive training allowed him to take stock of the newcomers. The large bookends were obviously dim witted if their almost vacant facial expressions were real. The boy in the middle however was a different story. He stood tall and looked down at the occupants as if they were dirt on his boots. He had a pale pointed face and hair so blonde it was almost white. Harry scowled when he recognized the blonde hair of the Malfoy Family.

Rage and hate boiled up in Harry as he took in the sight of the son of the man who cursed Sirius into sterilization. The father of the arrogant toe rag in front of him was the reason Harry's Godfather was unable to father children of his own. Harry knew that Sirius loved him with everything he had and had been like a father to him ever since that day in that Muggle super market. Harry wanted nothing more at that moment than to crush his windpipe. Harry knew Nym felt similar as she had stiffened upon seeing her cousin.

"We're looking for Daniel Potter is he in here?" The Malfoy asked in his arrogant drawl as he took in those who was seated where. He noticed his Metamorph whore of a cousin sitting next to the wrong Potter, the Longbottom Squib, the Blood Traitor Weasley Twins, and a few others that he didn't recognize. To the young Malfoy Scion, if he did not recognize him than they were beneath his notice.

"Now Cousin Draco is that any way to introduce yourself?" Nym asked in a falsely sweet voice.

Draco Malfoy narrowed his eyes at being called 'cousin' by the half blood beast his Aunt birthed. His miserable Aunt who disgraced her family by running away with a filthy Mudblood.

"Ahem, forgive me. I am Draco Malfoy, heir to the Noble House of Malfoy and heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black and I was wondering if any of had seen Daniel Potter?" The Malfoy heir gritted out with his head held high, looking down at them. Despite being annoyed that these people were not respecting him has their better, he still felt he should save face.

Instead of answering his question however, Harry, Nym and the Twins burst into laughter.

"What? What's so funny?" Malfoy asked indignantly.

Nym was the first to recover. "Gods you are a ponce! You had to go all Pureblood Prince didn't you? Had to make yourself seem better than everyone else?"

The blonde haired boy sputtered and began to turn red in rage. Before he could respond however she kept going.

"And how in Merlin's baggy Y-fronts do you think you are heir to the Black Family?" Nym asked, half in annoyance and half in curiosity.

"What the Devil are you talking about? I'm the only male from the Black line and we know the mutt can't have sire his own line. Who else would be the heir? The Longbottom Squib or the Mudblood beside him?" Draco asked imperiously sneering down at his two future classmates.

At the mention of Sirius and the result of Lucius Malfoy cursing him, the occupants of the room had to repress a shiver as the temperature of the carriage seemed to drop considerably. Harry shot to his feet with his wand in his hand and pointed in between the eyes of the Malfoy scion.

"That would be me you little shite," Harry spoke in a cold voice. "Through the blood of my late grandmother Dorea Potter née Black and _chosen _by the Lord Black himself, Sirius Orion Black III. You've disappointed your mother with your arrogance and disdainful nature. You've forsaken her to follow in the footsteps of your bootlicking father. You are a disgrace to the House of Black and if I ever hear you claiming to be the heir again I will challenge you to an Honor Duel in response to Line Theft. And if I ever hear you insult my friends again I'll make sure your Hogwarts is beyond miserable."

Staring down the piece of Elder wood into the blazing green eyes of Harry Potter and saw the famed color of the Killing Curse dancing in those emerald orbs. It took all of his control to not lose control of his bladder and piss his pants. His goons next to him hadn't moved to stop the threat and he honestly could not blame them in the slightest. The terror he felt at that moment was more than he had ever felt in his entire life. His father's stories of the Dark Lord's tactics and torturing habits had nothing on the lethal look in Hadrian Potter's eyes.

"Now be a good Pureblood Prince, and piss the fuck off," Harry finished menacingly.

The three boys boys made hasty exits as to avoid Harry's wrath. Harry stood there for a few moments breathing heavily as he tried to compose himself. When he managed it, he turned to his friends with a strained smile.

"Sorry about that. I shouldn't have let him get to me like that but I just saw red when he mentioned Sirius and it was made even worse when he insulted my two newest friends," Harry said with an easier smile towards the two eleven year olds.

"You want to be our friends?" A surprised Hermione asked.

The Weasley Twins were first to respond.

"Of course we do!" Fred declared.

"Someone's gotta show you ickle firsties the ropes," George added.

"And if you're in Gryffindor you can count on us!" The twins finished together with big smiles.

"Tonks and I will be your go to gals if you get sorted into Hufflepuff," Hestia said proudly. She was always filled with House pride despite almost everyone thinking that Hufflepuff was nothing special. "I'm sure Roger and Harry would be able to guide you if you're in Ravenclaw as well."

Harry smiled a genuine smile. "Of course we would." Roger nodded along his agreement.

Hermione looked at the older students and a wave of emotions went through her. She had never had any friends in primary school as all the students were jealous of her for her intelligence and in some extreme cases she was even bullied for it. To have gained friends before even starting at Hogwarts was a blessing for her. Next to her, many of the same thoughts were going through the mind of the Longbottom Scion.

The rest of the train ride went by smoothly. And soon the Hogwarts Express was pulling into Hogsmeade Station. Harry and his friends who remained in the compartment helped their two youngest companions off the train and guided them to where Hagrid the Groundskeeper awaited them to escort the new students across the lake.

Harry, Nym and the Weasley were able to get a Thestral drawn carriage together and in no time, the Hogwarts students in years 2-7 reached the Entrance Hall. Harry squeezed Nym in a one arm hug and nodded to the Weasleys before moving to sit at their respective tables.

Just as everyone was starting to get hungry the oak doors to the Great Hall opened and admitted Professor Minerva McGonagall and a large group of nervous looking first years. Despite the large crowd, Harry was able to spot Hermione and Neville standing side by side close to the front. Further down he saw the telltale hair that belonged the Malfoy brat with his two lumbering henchmen beside him. Finally at the end of the group was his brother standing alongside the youngest Weasley son. The two brothers made eye contact before Daniel sneered at him and looked toward the front.

Despite Harry's face giving nothing away, he could not help but feel a little hurt at his brother's attitude. Since his reintroduction to the Wizarding World, Harry had tried countless time to get to know Daniel only to be rebuffed time and time again. With his status as the greatest celebrity in Wizarding Britain, a status that was constantly reinforced by their parents and Albus Dumbledore, Daniel had grown to be an arrogant child that could rival Draco Malfoy in terms of self-importance. It was not something he enjoyed seeing in his little brother, the brother he remembered so fondly as a baby.

Memories were kicked from his mind when the Sorting Ceremony got underway. He kept an ear out for names he would recognize and of course his two young friends. He noted that the the first two students were both sorted into Hufflepuff and were also Heiresses to Ancient families.

Names came and went and soon Professor McGonagall called out, "Granger, Hermione"

The girl in question rushed up to the raised dais, sat on the stool, practically ripped the Sorting Hat from McGonagall's hands and shoved it on her head.

Chuckling at her antics, Harry watched as the girl was moving her lips rapidly as if talking to someone. Minutes passed before the tear in the brim of the hay yelled out, "RAVENCLAW!"

Harry led the rest of the Ravenclaw table in their applause and welcomed Hermione with a smile and a wink. As Harry had sat down at the end of the table, Hermione and her fellow first years were closest to him.

Harry and those he had shared the train compartment with, had also applauded as Neville was sorted into Gryffindor.

The sorting continued and the excitement in the air began to build as the Deputy Headmistress finally reached the letter 'P'.

"Potter, Daniel," she called out.

Immediately the Great Hall was full of whispers and speculation of what the Boy Who Lived was like and which House he would go to. The Hall waited on bated breath as the youngest Potter sat on the stool and placed the Hat upon his head. Like Hermione before him, Daniel seemed to be having a thorough conversation with the hat if his lip movement was any indication. Unlike hers however, this one seemed to be much more heated. After several more minutes, the Hat yelled out, "GRYFFINDOR!" And the House of Lions erupted in a thunderous applause. Harry noticed that the Weasley Twins were merely clapping politely, as they were none too fond of the character of Daniel. Harry smiled at his friends' loyalty to him.

Soon the Sorting had finished and everyone sat at their tabled looking almost longingly at the empty plates in front of them. As if sending the students' moods, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore stood from his golden throne and addressed the assembled students.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

Most of the Hall went into another phase of applause whereas Harry just felt disgust. He knew Dumbledore put on the facade of a grandfatherly, slightly senile authority figure but was in fact completely aware of all of his faculties. Why he felt the need to play these games, Harry did not know.

The delicious feast had lulled many students into what could be called food comas. Exhaustion from the long day had coupled with copious amount of food consumed let to many a student swaying in their seats, eager to get to the sanctuary of their four poster beds. The Headmaster however had different ideas.

"Ahem, just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few star of term notices to give you. First years should not that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well. I have also been asked by our caretaker Mr. Filch to remind you all that no magic should be used in the corridors between classes. Also Quidditch trials will be held in the next few weeks for each House at Madam Hooch's discretion. And lastly, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. Now off you trot to bed!" the esteemed Headmaster announced.

Harry could not help but roll his eyes in annoyance. What had started out as generic cool announcements had turned into a warning that likely death lied in Hogwarts, the self proclaimed, safest place in the world. Not only that, but he announced the dangers to a bunch of teenagers in rebellious phases. Dumbledore piqued everyone's curiosity enough that he was sure there would be quite a few cases of people 'wandering' down the forbidden corridor.

—

_October 1991_

Despite the excitement brought on by the Sorting Ceremony, the next two months of term seemed to follow the trend. Apparently during their first flying lesson, Daniel had somehow been named Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Harry took guilty pleasure when he realized that he had technically been younger than Daniel was when Harry had made Seeker for Ravenclaw, allowing Harry to keep his title of 'Youngest Quidditch in a Century'. This gave Harry an insane amount of happiness.

Apparently if the rumors were to be believed, Malfoy had challenged his brother to a 'Wizard's Duel' at midnight one night and never showed. According to Neville, who had unfortunately been caught up in everything since he forgot the password to the Fat Lady that night, Draco had alerted Mr. Filch of students being out of bed resulting in Neville, Ron and Daniel accidentally entered the forbidden corridor on the third floor and encountered a Cerberus. A motherfucking Cerberus was on the third floor. What the fuck was Dumbledore thinking?

Harry had kept an eye on his youngest friends as well. He found that Neville did not fit in very well with his Gryffindor year mates, and had taken to form friendships with the first years in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Hermione had fit in well after their little chat on the train. While she still loved her books and absorbed knowledge like a sponge, she had worked to drop her bossy attitude and had made friends with her Ravenclaw roommates. With her friendship with Neville already established, making friends with the Hufflepuff firsties proved to be easy. Their new group consisted of, Hermione and Neville, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, Megan Jones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Wayne Hopkins, Padma Patil, Su Li, and Terry Boot. Though the ease of making such friendships came with some difficulties as well. The majority of Slytherin first years came from parents who had either been accused or proven to be Death Eaters, thus, many of the students shared their ideals in terms of Blood Purity. In spite of this, Harry had noticed a few of the first years from Neutral families give the new group curious glances. Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis, and Blaise Zabini had watched the group at times often looking tempted to join.

_October 31 1991_

Halloween was always one of Harry's least favorite days of the year. It was the ten year anniversary of the day his entire life changed and at this point he did not know how to feel about it. Sure he endured four years of Hell but he would not be the young man he was today if he hadn't. He knew he was without a doubt the most powerful student in the school and could probably give Dumbledore a run for his money in a fight. Being trained by four members of the Black Family and a Werewolf gave Harry an edge that many could not understand. Physically, he was intimidating. Lean muscles covered his body and his glowing green eyes gave people shudders when directed towards them in a less than friendly manner. His experience in Jiu Jitsu allowed him to be able to fight physically if he was ever disarmed, which became less and less likely as time progressed. Some of his Animagus abilities had carried over to his normal human form such as his increased speed and acute sense of smell that rivaled even Remus'.

However he could not help but wonder what it would have been like if had had not been sent to Privet Drive. His parents, he had started referring to them as such, had admitted to him that they had not been great parents. Would he have grown up loved and arrogant as his brother had, or perhaps he would have grown up neglected and forgotten in a different sense than he had been. These conflicting thoughts of what-ifs and possibilities warred within Harry's mind as he traversed the first floor with Nymphadora. Like every Halloween since coming to Hogwarts, she had accompanied him for a stroll through the castle while everyone else was gorging themselves in the Great Hall for the Halloween feast.

They had just turned the corner when Harry fought the urge to gag when the most unpleasant scent he had ever smelled had wafted through his nostrils. He had grabbed Nym's arm to stop her and pulled her into an alcove that was hidden behind a statue of a talking boar.

"Harry?" Nym asked, as her heart was beating rapidly at the close contact.

"Shh, something's coming," Harry whispered similarly affected as he took in Nym's scent and barely stopped himself from breathing in her hair.

As if on cue, the loud footsteps of something large and heavy began to sound out in the corridor they had just left. Harry risked a peak and pulled back quickly.

"A troll, a fucking mountain troll is out there," he hissed in surprise.

"Ok lets just stay here and we'll be out of its way, right?" Harry could only nod. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with a fully grown Mountain Troll. Of course, his wishes were to be denied when a shrill scream of terror came from the direction he had seen the monster heading. Like a switch had gone off in both of their brains, they leapt from their hideout and moved quickly to the door in which screams and bangs were coming from.

Not wasting any time, Harry burst into the girl's bathroom in time to see the troll wreaking havoc on the stalls and the small form of Hermione Granger cowering under the sinks.

Rage bubbled up inside of Harry as he witnessed the Troll attempting to crush his friend to death. He quickly formed a battle plan and turned to a pale Tonks.

"I'm going to distract it and lead it away from Hermione. You get her out of her state and out of here," Harry ordered with no small sense of determination. Nym quickly nodded in response as Harry unsheathed the Elder Wand. The wand was vibrating in eagerness as it was once again ready for combat.

Spellfire erupted in the first floor girl's bathroom at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as Harry Potter's wand was a blur of motion. Stringing together silent _Reductos _and _Stupefys _with practiced eased, we quickly angered the Troll into abandoning his search for Hermione and drawing its attention to the true Boy Who Lived. In between his offensive spells, Harry had summoned a few of the broken pipes that lay on the ground wandlessly and ran his hand over them turning them into meter long pikes, the speed a similar one used by first years to turn a match into a needle, to be used as a last resort.

That moment came however when a large piece of shrapnel had broken from a stall had struck Dora and Hermione knocking them to the ground and diverting the Troll's attention to them. The Magical resistant hide of the Troll deflected almost all of the spells that Harry sent its way as it turned to move towards the two downed girls.

Harry almost panicked when the troll had lifted its enormous club in an attempt to crush his friends but he just managed to stay calm and took careful aim. His _Reducto _hit its mark as the club was knocked to the side as it came down, barely missing the two girls. With his left hand, Harry levitated the transfigured pikes and banished them towards the face of the troll.

While the hide of the beast was resistant to most Magicks and objects, the mucous membranes were far less so. In its angered roar upon missing its target the troll caught all three of the banished pikes, one through each eye and the other through its mouth with enough force that it was knocked back to the wall. Each pike had gone through the skull of the beast and had imbedded themselves into the stone wall of the castle, holding the beast up.

Panting from exertion, Harry quickly moved to the terrified girls and cleared the rubble from them and quickly made sure they were ok and healed the minor scraps as best as he could before the door to the bathroom burst open admitting Professors McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell. The latter clutching his chest in fright as the saw the very dead Troll impaled to the wall. Snape and McGonogall both paled in response to seeing the Troll and quickly turned their attention to the three students huddled together.

"What in Heaven's name happened here?" She asked shakily.

And so the tale began from Harry's mouth. He told them how he and Nym had been walking down the corridor before encountering the Troll and how they had moved into rescue Hermione after hearing her scream.

"And why were you not at the Halloween Feast?" Snape drawled as his eyes moved from one child to the next.

"I'd rather not celebrate the night a madman attacked my family all those years ago Professor," Harry said coolly. "I haven't been to a Halloween feast since coming to school and Tonks was keeping me company as she does every year."

McGonagall and Snape seemed to accept his answer, both pale and shaken, before turning their attention to Hermione who had shrunk back in response.

"I-I was bullied today in class after trying to help a classmate. Him and his friends laughed at me and called me names. I had come in here wanting privacy and was saved by Harry and Tonks.. I'm sorry," she said meekly as tears flowed down her cheeks. Nobody said anything as they all processed the information given. As prior victims of bullied, Snape and Harry sympathized with Hermione. Harry had put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed lightly.

"And who Miss Granger was responsible for your emotional turmoil?" Snape asked in a surprisingly kind voice.

Though reluctant to give up the names, an encouraging nod from Harry had all but convinced her.

"It was Ron Weasley and Daniel Potter," she said quietly.

Rage again spiked through Harry as he learned that his brother had been partially responsible for a friend of his almost dying. And Merlin how he _loathed _bullies. He looked up and saw similar expressions of anger on the faces of the two professors.

"Well it seems like I will be having a conversation with Messrs. Potter and Weasley along with their Guardians. In the meantime, take twenty points to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw for showing extreme bravery and loyalty. Now if you wouldn't mind heading back to your respective dormitories as the feast has been cancelled," McGonagall ordered after Madam Pomfrey had looked them over and declared them fit to go. She had arrived after receiving a messenger Patronus from McGongall shortly after arriving on the scene.

The three nodded and headed for the door but Harry stopped and turned to Snape.

"As slayer of the Troll I invoke the Right of Conquest. As such I declare that the carcass be given to Professor Severus Snape to do with as he sees fit. So I say, so mote it be," Harry declared with a flash of light and nod toward a shocked looking Severus Snape.

Harry and Hermione had dropped a thankful Nym off at the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room and she thanked them with a tight hug each and quick kiss on the cheek which left the powerful young man blushing.

The two Eagles reached Ravenclaw Tower unimpeded and quickly stamped out the cacophony of questions and each went up to their respective dorms intending to get some much needed rest. The last thought that went through Harry's head was almost prophetic.

'It's shaping up to be an interesting year.'


	8. Chapter 8: Year 4 Part 2

A/N: Hey all hope you're enjoying the story so far. Quick note, I got a review that was just rude and unappreciated. I appreciate everyone reading the story and adding their thoughts to the reviews however the straight up rudeness is not cool. Most of the reviews I've received have been positive and encouraging with constructive criticism and I appreciate the hell out of you!

Despite this being a dark/badass version of Harry, I've decided to throw in a couple humorous curveballs. I am a fan of movies, video games and other pop culture entertainment so any potential OC's that I introduce will have the name of another fictional character from another fandom. The very first example, I plan to introduce in the chapter. Again, I don't own these characters, I'm simply using their names for my own character.

Another thing I would like to add is that, like in the series, Harry will have similarities to Tom Riddle. One in particular I've already mentioned in Harry's lust for power and his ambition to be the greatest wizard to ever live. More will obviously come later on.

Thanks for bearing with me here! On with the Story!

—

_Chapter 8: 1991 part 2_

The aftermath of the troll attack on Halloween had very little effect on Harry and his friends as most of the staff seemed to want to keep the killing of the troll quiet. Harry had no problem with this as he figured he didn't need any more attention. With his status as number one in his class, his perfect record in Quidditch matches, and the female population finding him more attractive every year, he felt as if he needed less staring.

A week and a half after the disastrous Halloween came the first Quidditch match of the year and it was between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Slytherin had been scheduled to play the Lions, however Marcus Flint pulled some nonsense excuse that their second-year Seeker, Terrence Higgs was not ready to play. And though Harry respected Snape as a Potions Master, the constant bias he showed to the Slytherin by allowing the postponement. Thus, Ravenclaw was thrown into the game.

And so Harry found himself sitting in the Quidditch locker room, focusing himself and reinforcing his Occlumency shields. Roger Davies and second-year Cho Chang sat going over their chaser plays. The two beaters John MacTavish and Kyle Garrick stood side by side as they normally would, their beater bats hanging limply at their sides as they conversed with fifth-year keeper Kate Laswell.

Minutes passed as the team focused themselves. Soon enough, the seventh-year Captain and final chaser John Price came in the room with a determined glint in his eyes.

"Alright all, everyone up. Though we weren't supposed to be playing today, I think we are all ready for this challenge. We know the Gryffindor team is skilled but I believe our team is the better one. Their team is young and we've all been working together for years. Just play as you've been practicing and we'll be unstoppable," Captain Price passionately declared to rousing agreement.

The team made their way out of the tunnel and onto the pitch greeted by thunderous applause. It was a beautiful November day. Sunny with a chill in the air that made it comfortable in a coat. The majority of the stands were cheering on the experienced Ravenclaw team. The entirety of Ravenclaw was cheering along this Slytherin, as they hated anything Gryffindor, and even a good grouping of Puffs led by Harry's friend Cedric Diggory.

Harry took to the sky as the Gryffindors entered the pitch, as usual, tuning out the biased commentator who turned out to be Lee Jordan this year. Despite being on the team since his first year and flying around on a broom since he was just over eight years old, he reveled in the sensation of being in the air. The freedom he felt was indescribable. At this point in his life, Harry had been away from the Dursleys for longer than he was with them but he still carried the baggage accrued from his time there. He had improved leaps and bounds but the scars, both physical and mental, still affected him. He still refused to change around others, lest they see his torso and the destruction Vernon Dursley wreaked on it with belt and knife. He found it difficult to trust people he just met and only allowed certain people to touch him in any way shape or form. Only Sirius and Andromeda knew about his scars and Harry had to stun his Godfather in order to stop him from killing the Dursleys himself. Only the promise of future retribution stayed Lord Black's hand. Sirius and Andi were also on the short list of people allowed to touch Harry, aside from handshakes of course. Nym and Fleur were at the top of the list along with Sirius, Andi, Remus, Cissy and Bella. James and Lily Potter were restricted to handshakes and light touches. They of course had no idea why.

The Gryffindors joined the Eagles in the air as the captains stood by Madame Hooch to shake hands and begin the match. Harry sat on his trusty Nimbus 1700 as Daniel Potter glided across from him on a brand new Nimbus 2000. Harry took a moment to recognize that neither of them had the traditional Seeker body type. Daniel was among the average eleven year old in terms of height but was slightly chubby. Harry figured it was natural talent and years spent on a broom that allowed the boy on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Harry was the complete opposite. Tallest in his year and muscular to boot, Harry was probably considered too big to be playing Seeker, but his talent at the position and his perfect record shut down any doubts that would possibly arise.

The game was not going as well as Harry would hope. The Gryffindor Chasers worked like a well oiled machine and Wood was a bloody brick wall in front of the hoops. Fred and George cemented themselves as the best Beaters in the school with their ability to communicate with each other almost wordlessly. Despite Ravenclaw's hard work and preparation, they were down 110-30 at the one hour mark. Harry had seen the Snitch a few times but had not went after it as Price wanted to score as many points as possible first to give them an edge in the Cup Standings. At this point Harry could see the flaw in the plan as the young, but effective Gryffindor Team scored goal after goal while the experienced Eagles were desperately trying to stop them.

Harry had flown in on the action on a few occasions to disrupt the Lion's attacks and successfully assisted his Chasers a few times. While Seekers could not score with the Quaffle, they could certainly aid the Chasers in their pursuit.

The match had been going on for forty-five more minutes and the Ravenclaw team had successfully chipped their way back to a more positive position trailing 190-130 when a collective gasp ran through the audience. Harry looked up and noticed his brother hanging onto dear life as his Nimbus 2000 tried to buck him off.

—

On the grounds of the Ancient School of Hogwarts, almost the entire student body and staff were gathered together at the Quidditch Pitch, sitting in the stands and cheering on their classmates to their heart's content. Parents of the players came to support their children and reminisce of their own school days.

There was one person in the crowd who was in attendance for malevolent reasons. That person was Professor Quirinus Quirrell, Muggle Studies professor turned DADA Head, and current vessel to the spirited form of the Dark Lord Voldemort. Constantly hiding his Master underneath a turban, Quirrell had found the disembodied Dark Lord while traveling through an Albanian Forest, said to be haunted. In his ambition and thirst for power, Quirrell was easily seduced to be a servant of Lord Voldemort.

As his servant, Quirrell was tasked with stealing the legendary Philosopher's Stone from Gringotts. After that failure, Lord Voldemort felt it more prudent to stay close to the young man, thus leading to the point of the most famous Dark Wizard since Grindelwald, being stuck on the back of a lesser Wizard's head. This led to the famously bad-tempered Dark Lord to be even more annoyed than he already was.

His main annoyance focused almost entirely on the Potter sons. For the life of him he could not remember what had happened that Halloween night ten years ago. Despite his mastery levels in Occlumency. Tom Riddle remembered the disgusting Wormtail informing him of the Secret behind the Fidelius Charm. He remembered walking into the cottage at Godric's Hollow and stunning the witch who was babysitting the boys, he remembered two boys in a single crib and he remembered pain. Unequivocally the most horrid pain imaginable. Had he not created a Horcrux and tethered his Soul to this world, he would likely be very dead. The most irritating part of his lapse in memory, was that he could not remember which boy was struck with the Killing Curse.

Everything he heard since returning to Britain, whether from his servant or those around him, leaned to Daniel Potter being the one who vanquished him in 1981. Every Light Wizard in the Wizarding World believed that young Daniel had destroyed him that night but the Dark Lord had his concerns. He had heard, while eavesdropping on his servant's staff meetings of the talent and ability the elder Potter possessed. On track to beat even Tom Riddle's school records, Hadrian Potter seemed to be a prodigy in every subject. Even his former Death Eater Severus Snape reluctantly agreed with his colleagues assessments of the boy's unparalleled skill. However he felt about the whole situation, he could not ignore the fact that even the _Great _Albus Dumbledore believed the younger Potter of being the Chosen One.

And so he would keep an eye on Hadrian Potter and view Daniel as a threat as the Boy Who Lived. The first Quidditch Match of the year would prove to be as good a time as any to make his first move. With so many people in the crowd, it would be almost impossible to identify someone cursing the boy's broomstick.

—

Harry watched in a mixture of curiosity and horror as Daniel's broom bucked to and fro trying its damn near hardest to throw him off. He watched as the Weasley Twins huddled below Daniel, hoping to catch him should he lose the battle. Harry flew up to Daniel and as soon as he got close, the broom bucked and started to climb higher and higher. Harry worked his broom overtime to keep up. He may be an arrogant toe rag, but Harry couldn't let his brother die.

"Daniel! Jump onto my broom!" Harry called as they continued to climb.

"I've got it!" Daniel stubbornly yelled back.

'Stupid bloody Gryffindor,' Harry pushed his broom faster as Daniel was bucked from the broom and holding onto with one hand. Not a second later did he fall.

Being so close to him, Harry was the first to reach his brother in free fall. Because they were rising so quickly, Harry was not directly underneath Daniel so he reached out and grabbed a handful of his brother's robes. As gravity took over, Harry heard and felt the pop in his shoulder as it dislocated. He gritted his teeth at the pain that soon faded to a more annoying level. He lay flat against his broom, holding it tightly as Daniel's momentum started pulling them down. Try as he did, Harry found it difficult to maintain control of his broom and soon they were slowly lowering back to the ground.

Harry had regained control of his broom when he felt it. A piece of Magic that was neither his own nor his broom's. His broom was jinxed, just as Daniel's had been. Thinking quickly, Harry brought all of his substantial knowledge on brooms and jinxes to the forefront of his mind. Brooms come with standard anti-jinx wards so this led Harry to believe that the jinx involved was considered Dark and needed more power than the standard student. Reaching that conclusion led Harry to turn to the teacher/guest sections of the crowd, if he was right his assailant would be there. Another important aspect of most jinxes was eye contact. Something easily remedied.

Summoning his wand from his wrist holster, he cried, "_Lumos Maxima!" _

The ball of light that erupted from Harry's wand was enormous, aimed straight for the sections that hosted teachers and guests. He immediately felt the jinx lift and quickly made his way toward the ground. Ten feet from the ground a glint of gold caught his eye, he looked and saw the golden snitch hovering a foot by his head. In all the excitement, Harry had almost forgotten that they were in the middle of a Quidditch match. With his uninjured arm, he deftly picked the snitch out of the sky, gave a dry chuckle and lowered him and his brother completely to the ground.

Harry slid off his broom and lay down next to his shaking brother breathing heavily.

"All right there?" He asked Daniel.

"I've been better," Daniel replied through pants.

The turned their heads at the same time toward each other and for a moment, all of the troubles of the Potter family seemed far away. In that moment it was just the two Potters having a private moment with nothing hanging over them. No arrogance of the Boy Who Lived, no prodigious talent of Harry hanging over Daniel. Just two brothers having a near death experience together. Naturally the moment came to an abrupt end.

Soon the part of the pitch they had landed at was swarmed with people. Both Ravenclaw and Gryffindor teams were there looking worried over at the Potter siblings, the teachers were walking hurriedly from the crowd, but in front of them were James and Lily, Sirius and Nym sprinting at them.

Harry had made it to his feet, helping a trembling Daniel up with him. A few seconds later the wind was knocked out of him and an ache of pain throbbed in his dislocated shoulder as Nymphadora Tonks barreled into him and threw her arms around his neck. Sirius was not far behind her and quickly moved to his side while James and Lily fussed over Daniel.

"You stupid noble prat!" Nym yelled, every word accentuated with a fist to his chest. "You couldn't just leave it to the teachers could you? You scared the shit out of us!"

"Language Nymphadora," Sirius said with a grin, ignoring her scowl. He turned to Harry and his face went uncharacteristically solemn. "You all right there Pup?"

Despite having lived with Sirius for six years, it still brought a surge of affection for his Godfather when he used that nickname, no matter how silly it sounded.

"Yeah I'm good Pads, messed up my shoulder a bit though," Harry replied.

A loud gasped echoed from his chest as Nym stepped away hurriedly.

"Oh Merlin Harry I'm sorry! I didn't know you were hurt!"

"Oh its alright Nym, totally worth it," Harry said with a wink. In response, Nym's hair went from her usual vibrant pink an embarrassed red. He could not help but think how beautiful his best friend was. Sirius barked out a laugh and sent the two teens a knowing grin that made even Harry blush.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" A stern voice came from the crowd of people. Harry immediately recognized the voice of the stern Healer of Hogwarts, Madam Pomfrey. Even Harry had no desire to cross the slightly terrifying Hospital matron.

"All right let me have a look at you," she demanded upon her escaping the growing gathering.

"Why Poppy I'm a student! That would be wildly inappropriate!" Harry declared earning another barking laugh from Sirius and a chuckle from Nym.

Pomfrey harrumphed, though there was a slight twitch in the corner of her lips. "Mr. Potter you scamp! And that's Madam Pomfrey to you. Now tell me what hurts," she requested.

As usual, Madam Pomfrey was able to fix him up in a jiffy and examined Daniel soon after who seemed to revert back to his arrogant self by downplaying the situation and insisting he had the situation under control.

"Ah Harry my boy!" Came the jovial voice of the man Harry hated almost as much as the Dark Lord. "Would you mind telling me why you decided to blind half of the audience?" He asked. Despite the question, Harry heard no legitimate disappointment or reprimand in the Headmaster's voice.

"I believe my Godson has requested numerous times, Headmaster, to address him as Mr. Potter. You have not earned the right to address him so familiarly," Sirius said coldly. His persona of Lord Black leaking into his voice as his distaste for the eccentric Headmaster/Supreme Mugwump/Chief Warlock.

The customary twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes dimmed considerably and his smile turned into a frown. Though Dumbledore was not an evil man, the aged Headmaster knew he was manipulative. He always justified his manipulations, no matter how extreme, to be for the Greater Good of the Wizarding World. He always felt that Gellert had taken their catch phrase to ultimate extreme, but with the corruption festering in Magical Britain's highest government body like a cancer, Albus felt as if the responsibility of the welfare of the country fell on his shoulders. It seemed as though the remaining members of the Black Family were all aware of his involvement in young Harry's placement with the Dursleys and in knowing this, their dislike for him grew. How they found out he did not know, as to the best of his great knowledge, he was the only one who knew. Not even the Potter's knew of the bindings he had placed on the boy that had somehow broken. He assumed rightly, that the Blacks had helped Harry with his bindings, but did not know that Harry had used emotional passive Legilimency on him during his sorting.

"Ah yes, forgive me Mr. Potter, Lord Black. I was merely wondering why Mr. Potter took the course of action that he did," The Headmaster said.

"Well I-." Harry started before he was interrupted.

"Harry! Danny! By Merlin are you alright?" Came the voice of James Potter as he rushed up to the group. Behind him was Lily Potter looking like a right mess.

They quickly embraced and fretted over Daniel before turning to Harry. The both looked as if they were about to jump onto him. James settled with a firm and caring handshake, trying to emit all of his emotions through his hand. Lily on the other hand, stepped close to Harry. He was already a few inches taller than her. Surprising him, she put both hand on his chest and even more surprising to him, he didn't shrink back. She tightly grabbed the lapels of his Quidditch and lightly placed her forehead against his chest pads. Harry found that he did not dislike the contact as much as he expected to. It was both comforting and full of gratitude.

"Are you hurt?" Lily softly asked, her voice slightly muffled by his his chest.

"I'm good. Just a little bump on the shoulder is all," Harry replied.

"A little bump! I dare say Mr. Potter your ability to downplay a dislocated shoulder is impressive. Not to worry! I'll have you fixed up in a jiffy," said Madam Pomfrey who was running diagnostic charms on both boys. A _pop _and a slight wince from Harry later signified the healing of the damaged arm.

"Ah, that's better. Thanks Poppy," Harry said, rotating his arm to test his shoulder. "See? No harm done."

"Harry-"

"Seriously Mum, we're fine. A little shaken up but physically fine," Harry said with a smile. He looked to the still expectant Headmaster. "It's simple really. Danny just got his Nimbus 2000 a few weeks before term started and as Nimbus has always prided itself in safety, the broom would, most likely, not be defective less than a year after it was made. The way it was acting, especially when others went to help him made me realize it was cursed. As I said before, the broom has safety measures stop most jinxes so that made me realize that it was a Dark Curse. I doubted that a Hogwarts student had the ability to preform such a curse so it must have been an adult. That's why I sent the overpowered _Lumos _ in that direction. It broke their eye contact and stopped the curse when it jumped to my broom."

The adults around him stood shell-shocked as to what they heard. All except Sirius, who stood there with a proud smile on his face.

"You figured all that out in the span of the five minutes it happened?" His birth father asked incredulously. "Merlin on a bike, I couldn't even think straight let alone that critically. Well done Harry," he finished with a proud smile that mirrored Sirius'.

"Indeed, well reasoned Har- erm Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said with twinkling eyes. "I believe thirty well earned points for Ravenclaw are in order. Alas, it seems the rest of the school is heading back to the castle. James, Lily, Lord Black shall we adjourn to my office while the boys get cleaned up?"

They agreed while Harry bristled a bit at being referred to as a boy. That connotation always had a negative effect on him.

On their way back to the locker rooms Daniel stopped him.

"Harry, I just wanted to thank you for saving my life," he said.

"Danny we're brothers. Despite not growing up together, you are my family. My flesh and blood. As long as blood flows through my veins and life flows through this body, I will always do my best to keep you safe," Harry said in a posh tone with his nose upturned. The twitch in the corner of his mouth told Daniel that he was not serious.

It got the desired effect as Daniel sniggered. "A bit over dramatic don't you think?"

"Well I figured with your usual flair for the dramatic, you would enjoy that," Harry replied with a chuckle before his face turned solemn. "But seriously Danny, if you ever need help with anything, don't be afraid to ask me. Ravenclaw Tower in only a few corridors away from Gryffindor Tower and you can always ask the knocker to get me."

Daniel was about to answer when voices ahead interrupted them.

"-morph. All you'll ever be good for is being a Lord's bed warmer so why don't you start a little early and get on your knees for me, Slut," came the unwelcome, familiar voice of Slytherin Quidditch Captain Marcus Flint. Harry and Daniel were at the end of the corridor perpendicular to the hallway which housed the locker rooms. The two Potters each around the corner to see three Slytherin up year boys surrounding Tonks outside the Ravenclaw locker room. Flint had Nym backed up against the wall while his two henchmen stood on each side of him trying to look menacing with their arms crossed and wands out. Harry and Daniel unsheathed their wands, but while Harry stayed where he was, Daniel had moved to confront the Slytherin. Harry grabbed his arm and pulled him back before he could be seen.

"What the blazes are you doing?" Harry hissed.

"Going to help her! She's your friend isn't she? Why are you just standing there?" Daniel pressed, whispering just as Harry had.

"Yes Tonks is my friend, my best friend so I know that she is more than capable of taking these morons on herself," Harry whispered urgently. "I know you're in the House of the Brave and all that but you don't have to live your life by the traits of your House. Charging into a fight without preparation is a good way to get yourself hurt or killed. You're a first year and these assholes are beyond their O.W.L's What exactly were you going to do?"

Danny flushed in embarrassment as he realized his brother was right. Though he did have some training before school, he didn't think he was capable of taking on three older students. However he wasn't about to tell Harry this.

"So what do we do then?" He asked instead.

"We wait," Harry replied. "In case they end up getting the drop on her, we'll be here for backup."

During their whispered debate, the conversation in the other hallway had stopped. Harry peaked again to see Flint moving to grab at Nym's chest. This sent a fit of rage through Harry and he was tempted to disregard his own plan and curse him into oblivion. That thought quickly left his head as he heard a loud, masculine grunt before the sound of body hitting the floor. Not two seconds later twin flashes of scarlet light erupted from Nym's wand as the two other were knocked unconscious with stunners.

"Enjoy the show Harry?" She asked as she brushed her nails nonchalantly on her shoulders. "Didn't think to help little old me?" She had morphed her eyes to look bigger and watery. The puppy-dog eyes facade never ceased to remind Harry how cute she was.

Hardly, Tonks," he responded. While she liked him using nicknames for her, she preferred it only in specific company, and Daniel Potter was not in that select group. "Danny here wanted to rush in to the damsel in distress but I made sure he knew that you were capable of fighting off these thugs."

Nym gasped. "The Boy Who Lived wanted to save me?! Oh Merlin, how lucky am I? I must be living the dream of most of the girls in the school," she said while batting her eyelashes causing the younger boy to blush. To embarrass him further, she sidled you're next to him and rubbed his upper arm. Daniel now resembled a tomato.

"Stop torturing the poor boy," Harry said as he checked out Nym's victims. The two who were stunned wouldn't wake for an hour or so unless they were _Rennervated_, which Harry had no intention of doing while Marcus Flint laid curled up in the fetal position cradling his damaged equipment. Harry knelt down in front of the Slytherin fifty-year. "All right there Flint?"

"Th-that bitch kneed me-" The young man was cut short as a fist collided with his nose. Harry's quick jab broke the boy's nose cleanly as blood flowed down his nostrils.

"Now, now Heir Flint. Is that really an appropriate term to describe a Daughter of the House of Black? The House of Flint is _barely _an Ancient House, yet you feel the need to insult a member of a Noble and Most Ancient House. Blood Feuds have been called for less you know," Harry said almost conversationally.

"She's a Half-Blood beast. She doesn't deserve-" but he was cut off again as he felt another fist hitting him in the face, this one with more power behind it. He also felt two feet kick him in the back at the same time. Harry chuckled as Daniel and Nym both kicked the bigot at almost the same time.

"That's two strikes Flint. One more quip or hostile action, I will declare Blood Feud on your House and eradicate or malignant bloodline, as is my right as the Heir of not only one but two Noble and Most Ancient Houses. This is your only and last warning Flint. Fuck with my House and I will fuck with yours," Harry threatened. He had to admit he quite enjoyed the fear that showed in the older boy's eyes as he absorbed what he did.

Daniel watched on as his older brother threatened the Slytherin boy. A shiver ran down his spine as he realized then and there how scary Harry could be. As he promised to ignite a Blood Feud against two Houses, his eyes had glowed eerily and his Aura seemed to wash over the hallway. He made a promise to himself that he would try and do whatever it took to not have Harry mad with him, well more so than he already had.

Nymphadora Tonks on the other hand had seen Harry's darker side on numerous occasions. And like those other occurrences she could not help the feelings of adoration and arousal that sprang up. The power and authority he emitted attracted her like a moth to a flame. She, unknowingly like Harry, was afraid to act on her attraction as he was her first true friend and she could not imagine her life without Harry in it. That train of thought led her to a quick tangent as she thought of her other friends. Second to Harry came Fleur. As a Veela, Fleur had a life that was similar to the one Nym led. Both had men who lusted over them for their looks alone while women were envious. They envied Fleur for inherent beauty and Nym for her ability to look like anyone's dream woman. They found kindred spirits in each other, especially after they had started school and grew closer. And if Nym found her attraction to Harry to be potentially problematic, than her attraction to Fleur could be devastating. Nym learned long ago that she was attracted to women as much as she was to men but she had yet to pluck up the courage to do anything about it.

"So Flint, why don't you gather your goons and make your way to the Hospital Wing. After all, you seem to have taken a rather long fall down some stairs," Harry suggested. Flint quickly nodded and dragged his friends down the hall.

Harry turned to his two companions, "Well I think that's enough excitement for one day."

—

Winter came to Hogwarts just a week before the Christmas Holidays were to start as the population of Hogwarts woke up one Saturday morning to find the grounds blanketed in feet of snow. The school was naturally in an uproar as almost every student from all Houses bundled up tightly to enjoy the freshly fallen powder. And enjoy it they did.

Nym was able to convince Harry to join in on the massive snowball fight that seemed to include most of the school. Sides were chosen, teammates double crossed each other, and over all a lot of fun was had. Harry was pleased to see Hermione and the group of first years she had been studying with enjoying the snow instead of being holed up in the library. The three Slytherins who had been eyeing the group earlier in the year had been welcomed with open arms as they showed no hostility and now Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis, and Blaise Zabini were now permanent fixtures to the group.

As the snowball fight was winding down, and students began making their way back to the Castle to warm up, Harry noticed the Weasley Twins huddled close, whispering to each other. They looked up to the Black Lake where Professor Quirrell was standing guard to ensure that no student made their way onto the potentially perilous ice, and began waving their wands at a previously unnoticed pile of snowballs. In an impressive bit of Magic for a couple of third years, they charmed the snowballs to fly leisurely out toward the Black Lake before they flung themselves at the back of the Professor's turban clad head.

After trying to ignore the intrusion, the Professor whipped his head to the lake to find the culprit only to find nothing. As he turned directly away from Harry, Harry felt the pain he always did in the presence of his Professor.

Amongst the many scars that decorated the torso of Harry Potter, the large lightning bolt one on the center of his chest looked like it had never fully healed. Any diagnostic charm that was placed around picked up residual Dark Magic that had lingered in the air that fateful night. As it was, every time the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor turned his back on the Potter/Black Heir, a lance of hot pain would shoot through his chest. The pain would continue until the Professor had turned around and settle into a dull throbbing until he would turn around again and the pain would continue.

He felt the pain again as Quirrell turned to the Lake and almost unconsciously rubbed his chest. This of course did not go unnoticed by Nym.

"You all right there Harry?" She asked.

"Yeah, just that usual chest pain I feel around Quirrell," Harry replied. "I wish we had a clue as to what it was though."

"I know what you mean. There are myths and legends out there of curse scars giving someone a special ability. If that's the case with you, I think you got the short end of the stick," Nym replied cheekily.

"Has anyone ever told you how funny you are? No? Not surprising," Harry replied in kind.

"Oh that was bad Harry. Even for you."

"Whatever. Come on, let's go back to the Castle. I'm freezing," Harry suggested.

"Big bad Harry Potter has all the power in the world but can't deal with a little cold?" Nym asked teasingly.

Harry didn't even deign that a response, so he maturely stuck his tongue out at her before pushing her into the snow and bolting to the Castle, ignoring the indignant yells that followed him.

—

The day before the Hogwarts Express was scheduled to leave Hogsmeade Station and embark toward London, Harry Potter found himself wandering aimlessly down a deserted corridor on the fifth floor. Deserted was not an apt word to describe this hallway. Abandoned or desolate were more fitting. The rather impressive layer of dust that overhead the stone floors proved that it hadn't been used in many years. Harry was saddened at this. The War with Voldemort had destroyed too many families and Hogwarts suffered as it currently held the least amount of students since its founding a millennia ago. Harry could only imagine that at one point, the corridor was not unlike many of the used ones. Doors along the hall led to unused, dusty classrooms that had not seen practiced Magic in decades.

Harry's exploration led him to the end of the wing and the final closed door. He tried the knob only to find it locked. Almost unconsciously, he raised his wand and with an _Unlocking Charm_, opened the door missing the slight rush of Magic that flowed when the door had fully opened.

The room, unlike all the others, was clear of desks and tables. The only thing in the room was a large ornate mirror, as tall as the ceiling, standing on two clawed feet. Ignoring the reflecting glass, he took a closer look at the gold frame and could make out an inscription around the top. It read: _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi._

Harry looked confused at the gibberish of the inscription. None of those words made sense, unless of course it wasn't supposed to make sense. _That _thought was enough to give Harry a bit of a headache. As he examined the mirror, he had not realized that he had stepped directly in front of the glass. He looked at his reflection and could not stifle the gasp that forced its way through his lips.

Instead of seeing himself alone in the abandoned classroom as he should have, the glass showed more people around him. At first they were simply dark shapes but as they moved closer, their features cleared. The first two faces to come into clarity were of his two best friends, Nymphadora and Fleur, though now as he looked closer, he realized Nym looked a little older. He took a closer look at himself and realized he himself looked different. He was a few years older, taller, and overall more mature.

The vision in the mirror showed Nym and Fleur holding hands standing in front of him side by side with smiles on their faces. On his right shoulder was Sirius, smiling proudly at him and on Sirius' opposite side were the three Black sisters along with Remus. On Harry's other side stood the Potters. James stood with his hand on Harry's shoulder and his arm around his wife. Lily had her arm around Daniel's shoulder and looked on at Harry with a look of pride.

A rustling behind him alerted Harry to a presence behind him. He quickly turned around and nonchalantly drew his wand only to find the Headmaster behind him.

"Ah Mr. Potter! What a surprise to see you here," Dumbledore exclaimed.

"I could say the same for you Headmaster. I assume you put a ward up some time ago," Harry replied conversationally.

"Quite so my boy. As there are some talented witches and wizards out there capable of feeling the Magic wards project, as I suspect you are among them, I merely placed an alert on the flagstones that would go off when the door passed over them," Dumbledore said cheerfully.

Harry had to concede that the man had a good point. If he was looking for wards, he would have undoubtedly look along the archway or door for any proximity wards. He nodded in acknowledgment.

"I'm sure by now, you have discovered what this mirror does," Dumbledore said.

Harry looked back and thought about what he had seen in the mirror. His family, his _entire _family had been there. The Blacks, who he had grown up with, the Potters, his namesake and blood family, and his two best friends for whom he was developing increasingly wrong feelings for. While the elder occupants of the reflection looked at Harry with something akin to awe and pride, the two females in front of him gave him sultry smiles. A look back to the inscription and the first word caught his attention. _Erised... _not a real word but backwards it spelt _Desire. I show not your face but your hearts desire._

"Heart's desire," Harry whispered.

"Oho! Well done Mr. Potter! Indeed it does show one's deepest most desperate desire," Dumbledore said. His voice fluctuating from cheerful to somber. "Many a witch and wizard have wasted away in front of the Mirror of Erised, wishing for their reflection to come true, all for naught I'm afraid."

Harry nodded in understanding and vowed to himself to never go looking for the Mirror again. While the image portrayed was indeed tempting, it was nothing more than an illusion. He had to focus on the future. There was no reason that his reflection could not become a reality, but by dwelling on it and not working to achieve his goal, it would never become reality.


	9. Chapter 9: Christmas, The Forest, & more

:

—

_Chapter 9: Christmas, The Forest, and the Man With Two Faces_

The interaction with Dumbledore left Harry in an introspective mood going into the Yule Holidays. The train ride back to London was beyond uneventful. Harry had spent most of the journey with Nym and Hermione in their own compartment but had enjoyed the occasional visitor. Cedric, Roger and Hestia came by for visits, as did many of Hermione's friends from the first year's study group. Nym seemed to develop the giggles when Harry had introduced himself formally to the Heiresses and they blushed in response.

Soon enough Harry was walking through the threshold of Black Cottage with Sirius in front of him. As soon as he entered the Entrance Hall, a small blur came running towards him and crashed into his knees.

"Master Harry! Oh Dobby has missed you so much!" The diminutive creature and one of Harry's oldest friends, Dobby said.

Harry smiled at his friend and knelt down before wrapping his arms around the Elf.

"Hello Dobby, its good to see you again. How have you been?"

"Dobby is being good Master Harry. Though there isn't being much for Dobby to do while you is gone," Dobby responded somewhat sadly.

"But you're feeling okay right? Me being at Hogwarts isn't harming your Magic is it?" Harry asked worriedly.

"Oh no Master Harry! Dobby is just being upset that there is little to do. Master Harry's Magic is far strong enough that our bond is unaffected," Dobby replied, easing Harry's fear. Harry, like all Masters of House Elves, knew that a bonded Elf drew power from from its Master's Magic. The relationship between Wizard and House Elf was purely symbiotic unlike a slave like bond that many Muggleborns or Half-Bloods thought.

"That's good to hear Dobby, why don't I bring my trunk upstairs and then we can sit and catch up for a bit?" He suggested, reaching for the handle of his trunk. Before he could grasp it however, Dobby's small hand slapped Harry's away.

"Dobby be's taking this Master Harry. Yous be gone for many months and be taking good honest work from poor hardworking Dobby. I's be taking this," Dobby declared.

Harry just chuckled at his friend and let him do as he wanted. While he respected Dobby and cared for him like a friend, the Elf's penchant for hard work always amused him to no end.

—

Christmas Day came quickly and the Blacks soon found themselves at Potter Manor. Harry mostly got books on different kinds of Magics. He could not help but feel proud of some of the gifts he had given, Hermione's and Neville's in particular. He had gifted them with notebooks similar to the communication mirrors that Sirius had made while we was at school. Merely write in one to the person you want to talk to and the notebook would vibrate with the message on its pages. The Black party consisted of Sirius, Harry, and the Tonks family, with Remus and Narcissa Lupin showing up as well. With Harry's partial reconciliation with his birth family, they had found themselves invited to the home of the Potters for a large Christmas gala. With his brother's celebrity as the Boy Who Lived, many high class individuals would be in attendance, including, to his surprise and delight, the Delacour family.

Harry and Nym rushed to greet the Delacours while Sirius softly chuckled and followed them at a more sedate pace.

"_Hello Mr. and Mrs. Delacour. Hello Fleur, Gabrielle. How are you?_" Harry greeted formally and in French. Nym was practically bouncing on her toes in anticipation to greet on of her closest friends.

"_Hello Harry, Nymphadora. It is so good to see you again,_" Jean-Sebastian responded with a smile, ignoring Nym's scowl. "_And how many times must we insist on you calling us by our first names?_"

Harry sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "_At least once more? I'm sorry but it seems Cousin Cissy's etiquette training is more than a little ingrained in me_"

The Elder Delacours laughed. "_Well now that the formalities are covered come give me hug young man,_" Apolline smiled warmly.

Harry warmly hugged the French woman before turning to her husband hand firmly gripping his hand as the older man brought him into a strong half hug as well. Nym went through the same motions with Delacours before turning to the children.

"_We'll let you get reacquainted with Fleur and Gabrielle as we have to make the rounds,_" Apolline said in a somewhat exasperated tone as she finished her statement. They said their farewells and moved to greet Sirius.

"Hello Harry," Fleur said with a bright smile before hugging him warmly. She turned to Nym, smile never leaving her face nor dimming in its brightness as the two girls hugged tightly. Harry turned to little six year old Gabrielle and scooped her up in a hug as she ran at him giggling.

"_Hello to you too my dear Angel,_" Harry whispered into her soft, silvery locks. Gabrielle was always able to warm Harry's heart and he dreaded the day she began dating. He didn't want to have to hurt younger boys that much.

"_Hello Harry!_" The little girl chirped happily whilst trying to strangle Harry with her tiny arms. "_I've missed you so much!_"

"_I've missed you as well little Gabby. How are your English lessons going?_" Harry asked handing her to Nym resulting in an equally tight hug for the Metamorphmagus.

Gabrielle scrunched her face in concentration, which Harry had to admit was criminally adorable.

"Eet is going well. I steel 'ave my accent zough," Gabrielle said pouting. Again she was so cute that Harry had to smile.

"You will get it in no time mon Ange," Harry said warmly. He was rewarded with a bright smile from the girl he saw as his little sister. He decided there that he would burn the world down if anything happened to her.

A throat clearing behind him pulled his attention from his musings. He turned to find the source and came across the three members of the Potter family, which was weird because he had heard through Fred and George that Daniel had elected to stay at Hogwarts with the Weasleys.

"Happy Christmas Hadrian," Lily said with a gentle smile. "I'm so happy that you decided to come."

"Happy Christmas Mother," Hadrian responded with a slight smile. "Father, Danny. It's good to see you, I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you were staying at Hogwarts?"

"I got special permission from Professor Dumbledore to come home for the party tonight," Daniel replied with an air of smugness in his voice. Harry could not help but realize that despite his efforts and the developing relationship between himself and his brother, the arrogance of being the Boy Who Lived seemed to stick.

"Ah well that's nice," Harry said absently. "Oh I'm sorry for being rude. You all know Tonks here but let me introduce Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour, Heiresses to the Noble House of Delacour."

Recognizing the formalities of Pureblood Etiquette, James and Lily nodded their heads as the two French girls curtsied. James was a little slower on his nod as he had to shake the cobwebs in his head as the Veela Allure took effect. Daniel however had no such defense as he turned into a catatonic mess in front of Fleur.

Fleur's perfect face was marred by a slight scowl as drool started to form at the corner of Daniel Potter's mouth. Lady Potter noticed this and a sharp pinch to her son's arm broke him from his daze as he came to his senses, his face colored Weasley hair red in embarrassment.

Harry was barely able to withhold his snicker at Daniel's embarrassment. The awkward moment was interrupted however as the fool of the decade made an appearance. Harry's face grew stormy at the sight of the short fat man twirling a lime green bowler hat in his hands.

Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic of Britain stood anxiously waiting to greet the Boy Who Lived and his family. Harry didn't take his glare from the Minister's stupid face. He was fully aware, through Sirius, that the supposed leader of their Nation had lined his pockets with the money of 'Imperiused' Death Eaters including Lucius Malfoy and Thaddeus Nott. It was through their money and influence that the Minister and Dark Families on the Wizengamot had dramatically decreased the budget for the Auror Department and the passing of bigoted laws against Muggles, Muggleborns, and 'Dark' Magical Creatures. Remus had found it almost impossible to get and maintain a job in the Wizarding World due to him being a Werewolf. The blatant discrimination of certain Magical Peoples disgusted Harry, and he decided not long after being rescued by Sirius, that he would use his future power, both political and Magical, to fix the Magical World.

"Ah Lord and Lady Potter! Young Daniel! How wonderful to see you all again!" The stout man declared jovially. "I was ever so pleased to receive an invitation to the party!"

"Of course Minister. It is a pleasure to have you in our Ancestral home once more," James replied albeit stiffly. Being a Senior Auror, James was very much aware of the Minister's illicit activities revolving around one Lucius Malfoy. Minister Fudge did not catch the tone used by James and beamed at the man.

"Excellent! Ah and who is this behind you?" Fudge asked oblivious to the cold looks coming from Harry's group.

"Hadrian Potter, Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble Houses of Potter and Black," Harry said coldly offering his hand. The Minister took it happily, thinking that should he get on the good side of the elder Potter, his support would skyrocket. His hopes were quickly dashed however as he took the boy's hand.

Harry had firmly grabbed the man's hand and sent a bit of his Magic through his own. The result was instantaneous as the man flinched from the death grip he found himself in. The Minister could feel the bones in his hand grinding together and barely stifled a gasp.

"Well its nice to meet you my boy. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to be elsewhere," Fudge stammered trying to pull his hand away only to find his hand still trapped.

"Ah but Minister, you did not allow my friends to introduce themselves," Harry said with a feral smile on his face. "It would be rather rude to not do so would it not? Especially as there is a Daughter of the House of Black along with two Heiresses from a Foreign Noble House."

The Minister's face went red in humiliation. Despite his desire to disregard the Potter boy's words, it would not do for the leader of Magical Britain to be rude, particularly to Heiresses from a Noble House. Even if they were foreign. It was a bonus that he would have to let go of Potter's hand to do so.

"Ah yes o-of course," the man stammered. "Do forgive me ladies, I am Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic for Britain."

The three girls curtseyed shallowly and introduced themselves. Harry had to stifle a chuckle at Nym's grimace at the use of her full name and then stifled the desire to throttle the man when his eyes lingered on Fleur and Gabrielle in a not so pleasant way. The Minister noticed and quickly left the group, muttering excuses of having to see many 'important' people.

Harry turned to the Potters to see James and Daniel fighting hard to keep their laughter in check while Lily had a look of shock adorning her beautiful face.

"Harry! I can't believe you just spoke to the Minister of Magic like that!" she exclaimed trying to sound stern but failing to conceal the slight twitch in her lips.

"Well the Minister is an idiot who has no business being in politics," Harry said. His lack of reprimand for Lily using 'Harry' instead of Hadrian did not go unnoticed by the group. "He is a weak man who allows Lucius Malfoy and other 'Imperioused' Death Eaters line his pockets with gold if he passes bigoted laws that further their Pureblood agenda. I think he needed to be taken down a peg or two."

The Potters could not help but agree with their eldest son. Despite James' dislike for politics, he and his allies in the Wizengamot had been trying to push for more equality in the Wizarding World, only to be denied by Fudge and his allies.

"I can't really argue with that," Lily said reluctantly. "Just please be careful. You do not want to be making enemies before you even take your seats on the Mot."

Harry merely sent a sheepish smile at his mother, happy to have her concern after all those years without it.

The night went on without incident. Harry found himself on the dance floor numerous times with various females. He was happy that Cissy had drilled him relentlessly on dancing as a boy, especially when Nym pulled him on the polished floor. He gracefully led her through a number of dances, keeping her from tripping more times than he could count, and all in all enjoyed holding her close. Some of his other dance partners included his mother, Gabrielle, Fleur, Cissy, Mrs. Greengrass and Daphne, and several other ladies he did not know as he had politely accepted any dance offer that came his way so as to not offend anyone.

Soon it was almost time for the guests of Potter Manor to return home. The last dance of the evening had come, and Harry found himself in the company of Fleur as they danced circles around everyone else.

"I must say 'Arry, you are much better dancer than when we first met," Fleur stated with mirth in her eyes. As usual, her use of his name in her accent sent shivers up his spine.

"I would hope so. With all the lessons Cissy put me through, I would hate to have disappointed her," Harry replied with a smile. "I can't believe it has already been six years to the day since we met. It seems like yesterday sometimes."

"I remember that day quite well," Fleur said. "You were such a small boy for your age and now you've grown to be quite the young man."

"It's all thanks to Sirius," Harry said seriously. "I really don't know where I would be today without him. He's the closest thing to a father I've ever had. Strict when he needed to be but more often than not he's been fun-loving. Despite his reservations, he let me start training younger than normal allowing me to become the man I am today."

"Yes, it was only because of Siri that Nymphadora and I received training as well," said Fleur. "When he brought up the Veela Sex Trade, I was hired the best tutors in France so I could learn to defend myself. I know Nymphadora has gone through similar training as you, and despite the serious circumstances, I find myself happy to be prepared for the worst."

Harry of course knew about Fleur's training. Sirius rarely kept secrets from Harry unless secrecy was absolutely necessary. While Harry received training from the entire Black Family and Remus, Fleur had specialized tutors in Defense, Charms and Transfiguration. Her mother also aided her in controlling her Veela powers, which gave her an affinity for fire.

Nym had also undergone some serious training. After it was speculated heavily by the Blacks that Harry was the true Boy Who Lived, Nym had taken up training by her family. Harry's training was far more intense than the others, but that was completely his decision.

"When will you be going back to France?" Harry asked, dreading the answer.

Fleur caught on to his tone and smiled brightly. "Not until the day before we head back to school. Maman and Papa decided to accept Siri's invitation to stay with you for the rest of the Holiday," she chirped happily.

Harry's mood instantly brightened. He hated seeing so little of the Delacours and was pleased to hear that they would be spending more time together.

—

Throughout the remainder of the Holiday, Harry found himself constantly in the company of the Delacours and extended Blacks. He was so happy to have his closest friends around him that he did not complain once about any missed training time. Fleur and Nym were always around, talking about school or mundane nonsense and little Gabrielle stuck to Harry like glue, enjoying the company of her 'older brother', as she called him. That brought a big smile to his face.

Naturally all good things must come to an end as they entered 1992, and the Delacour bade a slightly teary goodbye as they returned to France. A blue haired Nym left to spend time with her parents shortly after.

To relieve himself of the sudden emptiness that seemed to hurt his chest, Harry spent the last day before the end of the Yule Hols sharpening his training against his first mentor, Sirius Black. Several hours, and what seemed like gallons of sweat later, the two panting sparring partners collapsed to the ground with a bottle of water each.

"Blimey Harry, when was the last time I beat you?" Sirius asked between his gasping.

"It's been a while hasn't it?" Harry replied mid-chuckle.

"A while? That's putting it mildly. It's probably just about a year now. You are truly progressing remarkably," Sirius said with pride.

"Maybe you're just getting soft old man," Harry said teasingly. "I though I saw a couple grays while we were dueling."

Sirius looked affronted then conjured a mirror and frantically searched his black hair, much to Harry's amusement.

"Relax Sirius, I was just joking," Harry laughed.

The Black Lord tried to look upset, but the sound of his boy's laughter crushed that goal right away. After their laughing fit was over, Sirius turned uncharacteristically serious.

"Harry, I've been meaning to ask you, do you ever feel like you might train too much? I mean being the Head of the Auror Department, I'm no slouch, yet you've been beating me consistently over the past year. I know it was mostly my idea to train you so young, but I don't want you to feel forced into anything," he said.

Harry's chest warmed at the concern and pride in his Godfather's voice. He thought about what Sirius had said and answered.

"Maybe I do train too much, but I truly enjoy it. You know as well as I do that I will be a target should Voldemort every return, and he has so much more experience than I do, I'll need all the help I can get. Even if we're wrong about the whole Boy Who Lived shite, I'd still fight him. My goals for after Hogwarts will definitely leave me with enemies so I need to be the best Wizard I can be, and if that means being a warrior first, than so be it," Harry replied.

Sirius nodded at Harry's passionate words. Though he wanted to protect his Heir with everything he had, Sirius knew that Harry could take care of himself. He almost scoffed when Harry mentioned his post-Hogwarts plans. Making enemies would be an understatement. Harry was basically planning on using his influence and his allies to topple the Ministry! Okay maybe that was a little dramatic, but nonetheless, Harry wanted to bring change in droves to Magical Britain, something the staunch Purebloods would not allow without a fight.

"While we're on such serious topics," Sirius began hesitantly. He had a bad feeling about bringing this up. "I thought it would be nice to travel to the vacation home in the Bahamas this summer with everyone. I brought it up to the Delacours last week and they were interested in coming along."

Harry frowned. This was not nearly as serious as Sirius was making it seem. "Yeah sounds fun, why are you so nervous?"

Sirius swallowed. "Well you see the Bahamas is an island chain in the Caribbean," Harry rolled his eyes and made to retort but was cut off when Sirius continued. "Thus it is surrounded by ocean and beaches. Let me know when you catch on."

Harry remained confused when all of a sudden it hit him. He paled and stiffened at the mere thought of showing someone his greatest shame.

"Sirius-" he started, but his Godfather carried on.

"Harry I know that what happened in that place was a nightmare for you and while I wish you had let me go after them I respected your decision. What those monsters did to you was beyond criminal and they should pay for it. I understand your reluctance in exposing your torso, but I believe you're hurting Dora and Fleur by not trusting them with this. In all the years you've known them you've never once taken off your shirt in front of them. Even around pools, you avoided it like a plague. I just think they deserve you being completely honest with them," Sirius stated with passion.

Harry was still as a statue. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew Sirius was right, but damn him if was going to give in that easily.

"Just Nym and Fleur. Then we'll place the strongest Glamour imaginable on me to make me look normal," Harry said through gritted teeth.

"Harry-" Sirius began but this time it was his turn to get interrupted.

"Just those two. I will not make Gabby see me like that at her age," Harry said determinedly. "Just. Those. Two."

Sirius simply nodded. "Very well, just Dora and Fleur then."

Harry nodded and the two stood up to leave the dueling room. As they reached the door, Harry grabbed Sirius' arm and pulled the man into a hug, which Sirius returned just as tightly.

"Thank you Sirius," Harry whispered into his Godfather's shoulder.

"You never have to thank me, son," Sirius whispered back and squeezed tighter.

—

And so began the spring term of the 1991-92 school year. Upon arriving back to Hogwarts, Harry spent a great deal of time talking with his friends about their respective Holidays. Everybody seemed to enjoy their breaks from studying but the most important bit of information came from Fred and George.

According to them, Daniel had been talking to the youngest Weasley boy about a certain mirror he had found in an abandoned classroom not far from Gryffindor Tower. Fred and George had overheard that both Daniel and Ronald saw similar things while looking into the glass; fame and glory.

Two emotions warred heavily in Harry's mind upon hearing of his brother's experience with the Mirror of Erised. He was disappointed with Daniel's deepest desire being him gathering more fame and glory than he already does. He could somewhat understand the Weasley boy's experience however, as his five older brothers all had their own successes that he felt the need to live up to. Danny however already had fame and prestige in the Wizarding World and his desire to have more was very selfish. Harry's vision in the Mirror differed from his brother's as Harry's merely involved his closest friends and family, rather than the entirety of the Wizarding World.

The second emotion was suspicion. He had encountered the Mirror deep in the bowels of a completely abandoned wing of the castle. There was even a Ward that alerted the Headmaster as to when someone went into the room. However, according to Fred and George, the Mirror had been moved from its relatively safe location in the abandoned wing, to a room not far off the beaten path. Why Dumbledore had moved the mirror into a more populated area of the castle, Harry did not know but he was sure it was not a coincidence.

—

Harry was leaning back in the overly large chair, holding one of Hagrid's infamous rock cakes in his bucket of tea as he lazily pet Fang's head. Harry and Hagrid struck up a quick friendship after Hagrid had invited Harry to tea shortly after the start of his first year. That visit had involved Hagrid expressing his displeasure with what had happened to Harry at first before diving into more happy memories that involved Sirius and the young Marauders which lifted Harry's mood and endeared the man to him. After that first visit, Harry had gone as often as he could over his years at Hogwarts, but the frequency in his visits had lulled as Harry's studies and training amped up. Therefore he was rather happy to visit his friend after the obscenely quick Gryffindor/Hufflepuff Quidditch match.

"Alright there Harry? How was the match?" Hagrid asked after settling himself in his gigantic arm chair.

"Quick for sure. Danny caught the snitch in about five minutes," Harry replied. Though his tone didn't show it, he was rather impressed with Danny's flying.

"Any idea why Professor Snape was the referee today?" Hagrid asked.

"I suspect it was because Danny was cursed off his broom in his first match. Professor Snape probably wanted to avoid that happening again," Harry said with a chuckle.

"You know its funny, Daniel and his friends think Professor Snape was the one to curse him," Hagrid said, smiling.

Harry rolled his eyes. Of course they would. Just because Snape disliked Daniel, almost to an extreme, didn't mean he was out to kill him. There many more subtle ways to accomplish that task.

"How do you know that Hagrid?"

"They came to visit me after the match. Apparently young Ronald saw Professor Snape staring at Daniel while muttering through a pair of binoculars. He and Neville rushed over to confront him but Daniel had already fallen. I don't want to think what would have happened if you hadn't been there," Hagrid said with some emotion.

Harry shuddered a bit there. No matter what happened between them, he didn't want his brother dead.

"Do they visit you often?" Harry asked, hoping to change the subject to a more cheery one.

"Aye. I invited Danny to tea earlier this year. Much like I did with you actually. They've come a few times since then, mostly asking about that blasted corridor and Fluffy," Hagrid said before his eyes widening and he clamped a large hand over his mouth muttering "I shouldn't have said that."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked curiously. Meanwhile his mind was whirring. The mentioned 'blasted corridor and Fluffy' could only mean the third floor corridor and the Cerberus it was housing.

"Please don't ask Harry! I really shouldn't have said anything," Hagrid said with pleading eyes.

Harry was quick to reassure his friend. "Hagrid you asked me not to ask so I won't. I would never go against your wishes and try get answers from you that you couldnt tell me," he said warmly.

Hagrid returned his smile and Harry noticed that his eyes were growing a little watery.

"Thank you Harry," he smiled brightly, "You don't know how much that means to me."

—

A couple weeks later, Harry was enjoying breakfast at the Hufflepuff table with Nym and Hestia when the morning post came in a fluttering of owls. He looked up to the flock of owls and saw the beautiful white that was Hedwig flying toward him with the Daily Prophet in her talons. As her usual, she dropped the newspaper in front of him and hopped up to customary spot on his shoulder. Harry continued their routine by setting aside a plate of bacon for his beloved owl.

As he fed her her preferred treat, Harry skimmed through the contents of the Prophet and found nothing out of the ordinary. Purebloods continued to rule the Magical World through the Wizengamot and nobody was stepping up for the oppressed.

A hoot from his shoulder distracted Harry from the Ministry-positive view printed by the newspaper as Hedwig looked at him with slightly accusing eyes.

"Sorry girl," he chuckled and left his paper and breakfast to lather some attention to his familiar. She hopped on the table in front of him and preened her feather as Harry lightly stroked her chest.

"Sorry for not visiting as often as I should Hedwig, this year has been ratty busy so far," he apologized as she turned her head on him, ignoring her human.

"Oh come on girl don't be like that. You know how much I care about you,"

Another indignant hoot came from Hedwig as she tried to turn further from the conversation.

"I'll give you all the bacon you can eat tomorrow," Harry tempted with a slight smile.

At this Hedwig slowly turned, her beautiful amber eyes wide and hopeful. Harry merely chuckled again.

"That's my girl," he said as he caressed the soft feathers on her head. "Though you can't be eating too much bacon too often. You know how unhealthy it is."

Hedwig affectionately nipped his fingers and leaned into his hand, touched at how concerned her Master sounded.

"You know I don't think I'll ever figure out how you can talk to your owl like that," Nym piped up from next to him having seen the entire interaction.

Harry laughed as Hedwig shot Nym a reproachful glare.

"She's more than my owl Nym, she's my Familiar. Really she's almost an extension of me," Harry replied.

"Still it's bloody amazing is what it is," she insisted.

"Harry?" A voice came from behind him.

Harry and Nym both turned to see Daniel standing behind them looking a bit apprehensive.

"Danny? What's going on?" Harry asked.

"Can I talk with you for a moment in private?" He asked a bit timidly, quickly glancing at Nym.

"Anything you have to ask me you can ask in front of Tonks," Harry responded firmly, leaving no room for debate. "Why don't you sit down and I'll put up a privacy ward so we're not overheard."

Daniel quickly considered before nodding and quickly finding a seat across from the two friends.

"So what is this about?" Harry initiated.

"Well you know how I've been visiting with Hagrid lately?" Harry nodded in response. "Well just a few weeks ago we visited and his hut was blistering hot. Turns out he was preparing to hatch a Dragon egg he won in a card game. The other day the egg hatched and its taken up all of Hagrid's time and strength. Everyone knows that Dragon breeding is illegal and we don't want Hagrid to get in trouble for it so we've been trying to come up with a way to safely get the Dragon to safety, but we've come up with nothing."

Harry's mind was whirring. His good friend Hagrid had knowingly broken the law to try and raise a dangerous creature he no doubt found adorable and cuddly. No doubt the only way to safely keep Hagrid out of Azkaban and get the Dragon away from Hogwarts. The answer came to him rather quickly and it caused no small amount of exasperation to flow through him.

"Tell me Daniel, why are you friends with Ronald?" Harry asked.

"What?" He replied, shocked by the change of topic.

"Why are you friends with Ronald Weasley?" Harry repealed. "It's obvious that the boy is not very bright considering that one of his older brothers works on a bloody Dragon Reserve."

Nym stiffened beside him at the mention of her first love while Daniel flushed in embarrassment on his friend's and his own behalf.

"We-we didn't think about that," he admitted sheepishly.

"Obviously," Harry drawled in a very Snape like manner. "Write a letter to Charles and see if he can meet with him in the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid knows the Forest better than anyone the Hogwarts Wards end somewhere in there. They should be able to safely transport the Dragon with none the wiser."

Daniel nodded enthusiastically. "Thanks a bunch Harry! I'll get on it straight away!" He got up and left the table quickly, eager to help his giant friend.

"All right there Nym?" Harry asked gently. He placed and arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"I'm getting there," she replied with a small smile. "It still hurts a bit but it lessens with each day."

Harry had to quell his rage at his friend's hurt. He desperately wanted to go with Hagrid and meet Charlie to give him a piece of his mind but he knew it would do no good. Instead he elected to be strong for his friend,

—

"Idiot child," Harry muttered to himself a few days later. Apparently the handoff of the Norwegian Ridgeback had gone off without a hitch, however Daniel and Neville Longbottom had decided to accompany Hagrid and got caught out of bed after hours along with Draco Fucking Malfoy. Now all three of them were to go with Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest yet again, this time for detention.

And so Harry found himself on the edge of the Forest line under a _Disillusionment Charm _waiting for the moment in which the three boys and half-Giant were to enter the Forest. Naturally, he had a plan. However this plan was going to be difficult to pull of to say the least. Over the past month he had worked tirelessly in the Room of Requirement on his Animagus form. He had recently mastered the full transformation but he never held at long as he was planning to tonight. His immense power was a big help in fully transforming his body so quickly.

As the group of four made their way into the dense Forest, Harry quickly shifted into the large Dire Wolf. He quickly tempered down the animal instincts that arose during the early transformations and took control of the Wolf. Being considerably larger than every wolf in nature today, Harry had to take considerable care to not make any noise while prowling after his brother. After a brief disruption in thigh the Malfoy shit antagonized Neville too much, the group slit up. Daniel went with Malfoy and Fang, whereas Neville accompanied Hagrid. Harry wasn't sure what the goal of the detention was, and quite frankly he didn't care. He just went forward with his plan and continued following his brother hoping to keep him safe from whatever creature he came across.

Shortly after their separation, Harry caught a whiff of blood in the air, though this blood was different. It certainly wasn't human blood. His question was answered when the small group in front of him stopped suddenly in front of a ghastly sight. A figure in a hooded black cloak was leaning over the body of a fallen Unicorn, its mouth attached to a lethal wound on its neck. The spawn of Malfoy opened his mouth and let loose a shrill scream and bolted from the sight with Fang following quickly on his tails. His brother however seemed to be frozen in place at the sight of the vicious attack. The creature looked up from its meal and snarled forcing Daniel to take a step back and trip on a tree root.

The hooded figure made its way toward the fallen boy. Ignoring the sharp pain that suddenly ran through his chest, Harry bounded from his secluded spot and landed in front of his brother. The pain seemed to intensify, but Harry was no stranger to pain having felt varying degrees of it for most of his life.

—-

Daniel was shaking in fear as a monstrous beast jumped in between him and the thing that was slaughtering Unicorns. Despite his position, he could tell that the beast in front of him was most likely taller than him and probably close to eight feet from tail to snout. It was truly horrifying and he could only hope that should the beast win, it would not turn its jaws against him.

—

The figure tilted his head almost curiously at Harry as he started to slowly close the distance between himself and the figure. He let loose a menacing growl that send shivers through the most dangerous beasts, as was evidenced by the involuntary shudder that seemed to go throughout the figure. It reached into the pocket of its cloak and pulled out a wand. Before the wand could be fully drawn however, the figure felt a set of razor sharp teeth clamp around its forearm and knocked it to the ground. It let out a shriek of pain, that if Harry had been paying closer attention to, had two different tones, as he landed on the figure.

While he easily broke the wrist and forearm of the figure, the close proximity of the two caused the pain to become unbearable and the contact made it even worse. Thus, he was forced to release his hold and roll of of it. The figure took the opportunity to gather its wand and flee from the Forest, leaving a shaken Daniel and a panting Wolf.

The unmistakable sound of hooves approaching forced Harry back into action as he turned with a snarl on his lips. The hooves slowed to a halt as a Centaur appeared through the thick of the trees. The Centaur slowed and looked between Harry and Daniel. A glint of recognition shone in his eyes as he looked to Harry, as if he knew he wasn't a mere beast. A few minutes after standoff began, the sound of hurried footsteps sounded by the clearing they were in. The stare down ended as Hagrid, Fang, Neville and Malfoy entered the clearing. Seeing his brother was in good hands, Harry quickly left the clearing and sprinted deeper into the forest before doubling back and making his back to the castle, ready to enjoy a good night's sleep.

—

The rest of the year was seemingly uneventful compared to the months prior. That all changed during the week of exams.

Ravenclaw ended up crushing the other Houses in the Quidditch Cup rankings going undefeated and all in all, scoring the most overall points to secure the Cup for the fourth year in a row. Even though Gryffindor had its final match at the end of the week, there was almost no hope for them to catch up in the standings. Ravenclaw also led the school in House Points, mostly due to Quidditch, but it was closer compared to the Quidditch Cup.

Exams went by smoothly for Harry. His own knowledge and abilities were beyond NEWT levels so the theoretical and practical portions of his exams were simple enough. After all, if he could defeat the Head Auror in duels, than school exams would prove no challenge for him. He had actually considered taking his OWLs and NEWTs early, but it seemed as if trouble would follow his brother around wherever he went and despite his ambitious goals for his later life, his family, both Potter and Black would come first. He just got them back, he wasn't going to lose them so soon.

Harry was just settling down with a book in the common room when Hermione came running down the stairs almost in hysterics.

"Harry! You have to help! I just got word from Neville, you know from those notebooks you gave us, which by the way is an extremely advanced piece of Magic that you'll have to tell me all about and-"

"Hermione!" Harry shouted causing the first year to finally stop blabbering. "You said I have to help and it sounded urgent."

Hermione blushed, annoyed with herself that she had gotten sidetracked. "Right. Sorry. Anyway Neville just told me that Daniel and Ronald petrified him and left to go to the third floor corridor!"

"What!?" Harry demanded shooting to his feet. "What are those fools playing at?"

"I don't know! They heard that Professor Dumbledore is out of the school for the night so they must have figured that tonight would be the night for someone to go after the Philosopher's Stone which is actually quite smart of them really," Hermione replied.

"Wait. The Philosopher's Stone is being kept isn't the school? Blasted old man has finally gone senile!" Harry declared, his mind racing on the course of action to take. "How the hell did you know that?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and smacked him on the arm. "Language Harry! Anyway Daniel and Ronald are not very subtle and Neville and I heard them talking about it."

Harry took a moment took come up with a plan. When he finished he spoke up.

"Alright. I'm going to head to the third floor and try to save my idiotic brother and his equally idiotic friend from certain death," he decided, already getting out of his seat and shedding his school robes. He double checked to make sure the serrated knife Sirius had given him was tucked in his boot before he went to leave.

As he exited the common room he heard footsteps behind him and realized Hermione had followed him.

"Where do you think you're going?" He demanded.

"I'm coming with you of course! I'm not going to let you face whatever death trap that is down there without help," she announced matching his glare.

He stepped up to her and placed both hands on her shoulders. He couldn't help it that Hermione Granger had wormed her way into his heart as a surrogate little sister. Over the year they had spent countless hours studying together and getting to know each other. She quickly endeared him to her.

"Listen Hermione... I don't know what else is going to be down there so I wouldn't be able to guarantee your safety. It would hurt me more than you know if you were to wind up hurt or worse," Harry said emotionally.

"Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean-"

"That's got nothing to do with it," he cut her off before she could pick up steam. "I'm three years older than you-"

"Two and a half," she interrupted glumly.

"And far more advanced in Magic," he continued, ignoring her interruption. "Please we're wasting precious time arguing about this. If you want to help me, then do two things for me. Get Professor Flitwick and have him come help me, then go to the Hufflepuff common room and ask for Tonks, you know where the Hufflepuff common room is?"

"Yes, Justin and Susan showed me once," she confirmed.

"Good go there and tell Tonks what's happening, I don't want her to worry got it?" He asked.

Hermione nodded sadly before leaning up on her tiptoes and kissing him on the cheek while wrapping in a tight hug. Harry was surprised at the hug but was even more surprised when he didn't freeze up like he normally did. She released him and hurried along to her tasks. Harry headed off in the opposite direction and sprinted down the hallway en route to the third floor.

He reached the third floor in no time to find the door leading to the Cerberus ajar and a trap door completely shattered on the ground. The Cerberus seemed to be on high alert, meaning he could potentially catch up with the two wayward first years before they got hurt.

He tentatively entered the room and saw a harp along the side of the wall. He breathed a sigh relief. Greek Mythology stated that the Cerberus was the Guardian of the Underworld but was able to be lulled to sleep by music. A quick _Animation Charm _later and the harp was playing a soft melody that almost immediately put the giant three-headed dog to sleep.

Without further adieu he sent a _Lumos Maxima _down the chute and saw what seemed to be a soft landing. He jumped down the hole and as he expected landed on a soft substance. He was about to get up when he felt his landing surface begin to come alive and try to wrap around him.

'Fuck! Devil's Snare!' He thought, realizing just before the demon plant was able to wrap around his wrist.

"_Incendio_," he said, lighting the plant on fire. He didn't want Flitwick to be delayed by the plant so he pumped more power into his spell until nothing remained but ash.

As soon as the Devil's Snare was burnt to a crisp, he made his way down the only hallway in sight. His wand was lit with a _Lumos _and he finally made his way to the end. A door separated him from the next obstacle. A fluttering was heard from his side of the door. With his wand at the ready Harry burst through the door, a _Protego _on his lips as he looked around for any threats. He raised his shield above his head and saw that the fluttering was in fact hundreds of flying keys!

On the other side of the room was a door. Harry quickly rationalized that one of the flying keys would open his path to whatever lies beyond.

'I don't have time for this,' he thought before taking aim at the door.

"_Bombarda!_"

The spell hit the door and reflected off it, right into the wall behind him, gouging out a large piece of it. 'Aha so its only the door that's warded.' He took aim again, this time at the wall holding the doorway.

"_Defodio!_" He incanted. The _Gouging Curse _struck true as an even larger hole formed in the wall and Harry quickly made his way through it to find a giant chess set.

There were broken pieces scattered across the board, and on the floor at the end where the black pieces start laid a small body with red hair.

"Ronald," Harry whispered and made his way to the fallen boy. He expected the chess pieces to reform and wither attack him or begin the game anew but it seemed that with Ronald still occupying the chessboard, the _Animation Charm _never rest.

He reached the unconscious boy and ran every diagnostic spell Andi had ever taught him. Every spell showed that the only injury the boy had was a slight concussion. After insuring he would be okay, and that Daniel was not in the room with them, Harry quickly made his way to the next door. Opening the door, he was met with a repulsive odor that seemed to permeate the air. A troll lay in the corner with a lump on his head, clearly knocked out. Harry didn't consider the ramifications and simply ran to the next door to escape the horrid stench.

Fighting the urge to gag Harry found the next chamber empty of his brother, much to his dismay. On the opposite side of the room stood a table with numerous phials with different liquids in differing amounts. An easel held up a blackboard with a logic puzzle written on it stood near it. Harry could see the next door down a hallway on the far side of the room, however the floor of the hallway was covered in flames.

"_Augamenti!_" He said but to no avail as the heat merely ate at the water before it even reached the flame. An idea came to mind. Early in the school year he had studied the _Flame Freezing Charm _in case an opponent used water resistant spells in a duel. The spell would essentially make the fire feel like a tickle. Many witches who were burnt at the stake during the 'Witch Hunts' used the charm to overcome the Muggles who tried to kill them. He quickly cast the spell and waved his hand over the flames to find them useless. He made his way through the now tickling flames when realization struck him.

It was too easy, it was all too easy. Despite the fact that he was a very advanced fourth year and barely completed the tasks as they were designed, it was still too easy. With Hagrid's loose tongue it wouldn't take much for him to spill information on how to get past Fluffy. Devil's Snare was covered in Herbology in first year. The flying keys would be relatively easy to catch if one had enough experience on a broomstick. It was almost as if that task was meant for Danny. Despite being his first year it was already well known around the school of Ronald Weasley's talent in chess. All of these 'challenges' as it were, were simple enough for a couple of first years to pass through with minimal injury.

Fucking Dumbledore.

On that note Harry entered the last room and saw a sight that made him ill.

—

"KILL HIM!" The voice of the face on the back of Professor Quirrell's head. The entire body lunged at Daniel and wrapped his hand around the younger Potter's throat.

As quickly as the young Professor moved he found himself on the other side of the final chamber, blasted from the body of Daniel Potter and crashing into the stone wall by the fabled Mirror of Erised.

As soon as Harry blasted the corrupted Professor, he summoned Daniel to him with _Accio_, his brother's gasping body came sliding to him.

"You alright Danny," Harry asked, never taking his eyes off of the man with two faces.

"I'll be fine, gasped Danny.

"What was that? Who else is here?" A high cold voice demanded from the body of Quirrell.

"Master I'm sorry! It's the other Potter! The elder one!" Quirrell exclaimed in a shaky voice.

"Let me see him!" The voice said with authority. Quirrell hastened to obey and quickly turned around to show the newcomer the hideous face plastered on the back of his head.

"Ah the forgotten son, Hadrian Potter. Such a pleasure to see you again," the voice called to him, its lips upturning into a twisted smile.

"I don't remember having the displeasure in ever meeting you," Harry snarked back, his wand not lowering an inch.

"Watch your tongue boy! Its no surprise you don't remember me. You were but a boy when we first met," It rasped.

Harry's eyes widened and he whispered, "Voldemort."

"Yes young Hadrian, I must admit to remembering very little of that night but I do know that whatever happened, left me as nothing more than wraith, forced to carry on by possessing animals and the such. That was before young Quirinus wandered into my forest. He was easily swayed to be my last vessel as the Philosopher's Stone will be in my grasp by the end of the night," Voldemort boasted.

"So you want the Stone for what? The Elixr of Life?" Harry asked.

Voldemort laughed. "Don't be silly. Yes the Elixr will grant me the immortality I seek, however the Stone has Magical properties beyond your understanding. With the Stone, I will fashion myself a new body, stronger and more powerful than before and I will then destroy everything you hold dear boy!"

The Dark Lord Voldemort was so focused on his boasting and planning that he didn't even see the pale light of a _Cutting Curse _until it struck Quirrell in the upper back. The young man shrieked in pain as a deep gash tore open his back and blood began to flow freely.

"Don't. Call. Me. Boy," Harry gritted out through clenched teeth. He noticed Daniel finally began to back away, wary of the oncoming confrontation.

"My my was that a cheap shot Potter? Not one to play by the rules are you? Very well, Quirinus, kill him and his brat of a brother. Then we will take the Stone by force if we must," Voldemort ordered.

"B-but Master, my back," the man gasped.

"Just kill them you fool!" Voldemort screeched.

Quirrell turned quickly and shot a _Killing Curse _in the general direction of the Potters, but due to his injuries missed wildly, giving Harry a chance to retaliate.

"_Stupefy! Lacero!, Incarcerous!_" Harry yelled only for Quirrell to desperately shield or dodge Harry's attacks. He regained his footing and sent a barrage of Dark Curses at his opponent. Harry didn't recognize most of the Curses so elected to conjure marble barricades to absorb the spells. He did not want to dodge in fear that he may leave Danny vulnerable. His younger brother didn't even have his wand out for Merlin's sake.

Harry banished the debris back to the Professor/Dark Lord hybrid and Quirrell responded by conjuring a shield that turned the debris to sand. Harry didn't give him time to respond as he pressed his attack. _Piercing Hex _after _Piercing Hex _followed by a _Body Bind _then another _Lacero_, a more deadly _Cutting Curse_. Harry didn't stop his barrage of spells until he saw the non-wand hand of Quirrell fall to the flew as his _Cutting Curse _struck true.

"AH! Master my Hand," Quirrell whimpered finally feeling the blood loss.

"Weak fool! Surrender to me and I shall take care of the brats!" Voldemort commanded. Quirrell's eyes closed before reopening seconds later showing the blood red color of Voldemort. Harry's chest erupted in a burning senasation that he had to fight so as not to scream.

"Now _Harry _Potter you shall duel with me," Quirrell said in a voice that was a mix between Quirrell's and Voldemort's. There was no hesitation between the end of his declaration and another barrage of curses and hexes heading toward Harry. Voldemort though missed the fact that during his full possession, Harry had forced open the door from the last chamber and pushed Danny through it.

Now Harry was able to dodge and evade with more efficiency having no longer to worry about his brother behind him. Together the two Wizards fought a lethal dance that even the slightest misstep could be fatal. Though Harry held his own, he spent most of the fight on the defensive. None of his spells seemed to be getting anywhere but his shields were holding fine. As that thought entered his head his world turned to pain as the _Cruciatus Curse _hit him square in the chest. It was cast non-verbally and he confused the red color of the curse with that of a stunner. The spell went straight through his most powerful shield.

The pain was unbearable. Despite the numerous lashes, slices, burns and the brand he received, this was a pain like no other. It felt as if his every nerve was on fire. He was finally given a reprieve after a minute.

"Well done Harry," Voldemort panted. "I admit that even in my original body, you would have proven to be a challenge. Because of this, I offer you a chance. A chance to join me. You and I, we're not so different you know. Both of us spurned by family, only to turn out tremendously powerful through hard work and sacrifice. Join me and become me heir, not a Death Eater or follower but an equal. Remember Harry there is no good and evil. Only power, and those too weak to seek it. No enjoy one more taste of pain before giving me your answer. _Crucio!_"

Harry couldn't hold back the scream that tore at his throat. He could only hope that Professor Flitwick would arrive soon to help him. Voldemort again lifted the curse. Harry had no choice but to retch and vomit on the floor beside him. He didn't even realize that his wand had fallen from his grasp and rolled away.

"Now just be a good boy and lay there for a moment. I must find the Stone before this body decays even further," The Dark Lord said before turning away from Harry to face the Mirror once more. "I can see myself with the Stone. The bodies of my enemies surrounding me. Some of their bones are constructed into a throne."

While Voldemort was rambling, Harry had curled into a ball, willing the shaking to stop. His right hand shakily went to his combat boots and he pulled out the serrated knife. He gripped the knife tightly and with almost the rest of his strength slashed the heels of the Dark Lord severing both of his Achilles' tendons. With a scream of pain, Voldemort twisted and fell so that he was facing Harry.

"My answer," he panted. "Go fuck yourself." With that declaration, Harry gripped his knife and drove it into the chest of Quirinus Quirrell. They laid there next to each other, each gasping for breath. Mere seconds later, Quirrell took his last breath as the light left his eyes.

Harry slowly dragged himself to the wall, grabbing his wand in the process, and sat up against it trying to stop the uncontrollable twitches that racked his body.

"Harry!" Multiple voices called out at the same time.

Harry looked up, wand at the ready. His eyes held an almost crazy gleam in them as he tried to assess any potential threats. His wand lowered when he saw who had rushed into the room. Professors Flitwick and Dumbledore led the charge with their wands drawn. Nym, Danny and Hermione followed right behind them. Flitwick, Danny, Nym and Hermione went straight to Harry whereas Dumbledore went straight for Quirrell.

"Harry are you okay?" Flitwick asked, concern heavy in his voice. Nym and Hermione had each rushed to his side and grabbed his hands tightly. Nym had grabbed his right hand and was diligent enough to take his wand and hide it in her pocket.

Before Harry could answer Flitwick's question, darkness swarmed his vision. The last thing he remembered was Nym releasing his hand and pulling his body close.

—-

When Harry opened his eyes next, all he saw was white. His sense of smell detected almost unnatural cleanliness, told him he was in either the Hogwarts Hospital Wing or St. Mungo's. The dulcet tones of Madam Pomfrey however, alerted him that he was still at Hogwarts. Madam Pomfrey's voice was not as dulcet as one might think. No, at the moment Harry had finally regained consciousness, Poppy Pomfrey was laying in on the Headmaster.

"Absolutely not Headmaster! I will not allow you to disrupt my patients' healing just to satisfy your curiosity!" She exploded.

"Poppy please I implore you. A Hogwarts Professor is dead and Harry Potter was the last to see him alive. I need to know what happened," Dumbledore almost begged.

"I do not care Headmaster! You talked to the young man's brother and he told you that Quirinus was possessed by You-Know-Who! If that's true than Hadrian should be receiving a medal rather than your interrogation!" The school Healer said vehemently.

"It's alright Madam Pomfrey, I'm up," Harry announced. "And by the way, it would make me happy you called me Harry from now on." He finished his request with a warm smile that was returned by the Healer.

"Thank you Harry. In return you may call me Poppy in private," she responded with a smile and a wink.

"Ah Harry so good to see you awake!" Dumbledore said merrily with a twinkle in his eyes. Harry just glared at the older man.

"I gave Madam Pomfrey the permission to address me informally Headmaster, not you," Harry responded coldly. "I don't know why you insist on playing this game so often but quite frankly, I'm sick of it."

"Forgive an old man Ha-Mr. Potter, I suppose old habits die hard," Dumbledore replied, the twinkle dimming in his eyes. "I just wanted to ask you about the events of that night."

Harry didn't say anything. He knew this was Dumbledore's way of gathering information. He would pose a statement as a question and expected answers.

"Well Mr. Potter?"

"Well what? You didn't ask a question so I'm not obligated to tell you anything. So if you want to learn something just ask. Stop playing your word games," Harry said firmly.

Dumbledore sent him his patented 'disappointed grandfatherly look' "Very well. What happened in the evening of June 4th 1992," he asked specifically.

Harry obliged him. He told the Headmaster of how he learned that his brother had gone after the Philosopher's Stone, how Harry had followed him and dismantled the traps easily while sending Hermione to get help from Flitwick. Harry explained to him what he experienced in the final chamber and how Voldemort had fully possessed Quirrell, leading to his death by Harry's hand in a clear case of self defense.

"Mr. Potter I must admit myself disappointed that you felt like you had to kill Professor Quirrell," the Headmaster chided. "You must remember that forgiveness and redemption is always possible, no matter how ghastly the crime."

Harry was about to retort when the Hospital Wing doors banged open and a group of people in scarlet robes marched in, their leaders, the perfect picture of irate.

"Dumbledore! I told you explicitly that you were not to speak to Hadrian without me present," Lord Sirius Black, Head Auror yelled. He approached the duo with robes billowing behind him.

"Ah Sirius! Forgive me but I needed to know what happened while young Mr. Potter's memories were still fresh," Dumbledore responded, his damnable blue eyes twinkling away. The twinkling died however when he realized the group was actually a contingency of Aurors led by Sirius and Amelia Bones.

"Its Lord Black or Head Auror, Headmaster," Sirius said through gritted teeth.

"My apologies, Head Auror. May I ask why there are Aurors in Hogwarts?"

Amelia Bones, Head of the DMLE stepped forward. "A man is dead Dumbledore. Of course there would be Aurors present. According to the statement given by Daniel Potter, Professor Quirinus Quirrell was possessed by the shade of Lord Voldemort. Right under your nose it would seem."

Dumbledore's eyes had completely lost their twinkle at this point. "You spoke to Daniel? Madame Bones you know you cannot take the statement of an underage witness without myself or their guardians present."

"Of course I know that Albus," Bones snapped. "I did not gain my position by batting my eyelashes. It just so happens that James and Lily Potter are in the castle to visit their son."

As if waiting for their cue, James, Lily and Daniel walked into the room and quickly made their Harry's bed.

"Harry! Are you okay?!" Both Lily and James asked.

"I'm fine! Actually a bit overwhelmed right now," Harry replied with a slight smile. That prompted Sirius to jump into action.

"You heard him, everyone back up!" He ordered. The Aurors hastened to obey. Harry relaxed and then relayed his version of events to Amelia Bones who used a Dicta-Quill to take notes and officially record them. It was almost a forgone conclusion, but with the statement made by Daniel, Madam Bones declared the death of the possessed Quirrell self-defense.

—

After the events underneath the third floor corridor, Harry found himself preparing to return to the Black Cottage, via the Hogwarts Express. The summer holidays were set to begin, and Harry could not help but feel both excited and nervous of the prospect. The Blacsk and Delacours were going to the Bahamas in mid July for their vacation and Sirius had convinced Harry to show his scars to his closest friends. That event is where the nervousness came from.

Harry was broken from his thoughts when Sirius and Nym both entered his room to find him packing his belongings.

"How are you doing Harry?" Sirius asked gently.

"I'm fine, completely healed and rejuvenated," Harry replied. The worst part was that he was actually fine.

"Harry, I don't want to seem indelicate," Sirius began hesitantly. "But if you need to talk about anything you know we're here for you right?"

"Of course I do," Harry said somewhat shortly. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Harry you killed someone," Nym protested. "We know it was self defense, but it could still take a toll on anyone. We do not think anything less of you, we just want to make sure you're okay."

"Don't you?" He turned to her sharply. "Why wouldn't you? I killed a man. I'm no better than the people I swore to fight against."

"How could you think that?" Nym asked. "You are so much better than those masked cowards. They rape, torture, and murder without discrimination. They feel nothing for what they do."

"AND NEITHER DO I!" Harry roared. To their credit Sirius and Nym did not flinch or move away. "I killed a man, possessed he might have been, and I feel nothing! No guilt. No shame. No sickness. The only thing I feel is worry. Worry that I might turn into nothing more than a murdering psychopath. I've been on this path for a long time." He turned to Sirius. "The reason I don't want you to do anything to the Dursley's is because I have a plan for them. I will make what they did to me look like child's play and I cannot say that I won't enjoy it."

"What did they do to you?" Nym asked shakily.

"I'll show you in due time Nym," Harry replied absently. "Don't you see what I mean?"

Sirius took a moment. His Godson seemed to be a much more complex person than he could even imagine. Now Sirius Black was no Saint. As an Auror, there were times where it was required of him to permanently dismantle his opponents. Even working as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, he pressed Dumbledore to allow them to use lethal weapons. Was Harry a monster? No he didn't think so. He was merely a complex young man with a lot of rage. And that rage and thirst for revenge was completely understandable to the Black Lord. He had thought his childhood had been difficult, what with Walburga and Orion Black being the abusive people they were. His experiences paled in comparison to Harry's.

"I don't care," Nym whispered, pulling Sirius from his dark thoughts and causing Harry's neck to crack as his head snapped toward her again.

"What?" The boy asked.

"I don't care," she affirmed. "I know you better than most Harry Potter. You are easily one of the best men that I know, and I would follow you to the end of the Earth if you asked. You're my best friend and I wouldn't abandon you for anything."

A lump grew in Harry's throat as his best friend declared her passionate loyalty. A Hufflepuff through and through. Dora and the Black Family was truly the best thing that happened to him. She pulled him into a tight hug, her arms around his neck holding him close to her. He returned the hug and seconds later, felt another pair of arms encompass them both.

"We'll always be there for you Harry," Sirius whispered. "You're a good man, no matter what you might think. You wouldn't have gone after Danny if you weren't. You killed an evil, possessed man. You want revenge against monsters and that is understandable. And I will help you any way I can."

Harry's emotions got the better of him as grateful tears started streaming down his cheeks.

"Thank you."

—

A/N: Sorry for the long wait my faithful readers. 2020 has been off to a rough start so far. My grandmother got sick and passed away early in January so my family and I have been grieving. I appreciate your patience so much.

The next chapter will cover the summer and start of the 92-93 school year. I hope no one minds that I try to gloss over some of the school years until I get to places where I can incorporate more of my original ideas. In case no one noticed, Harry is in fact a very complex person and I try not to be contradicting in my character developments. He is obviously VERY OOC and I'm trying to go for a BAMF Harry Potter.

I received a PM saying that they hoped this would be a Potter bashing story. I have read many, many WBWL stories and almost all of them involve Potter bashing to almost extreme circumstances. I'd like to go a different route and present the Potters as people who made a serious mistake and instead of justifying it all the time, acknowledge it and work to gain forgiveness.

Sorry for the rant everyone. Hope you enjoyed what certainly felt like my longest chapter and continue to await more updates, which I hope to add more frequently. Please feel free to review, but please, if you have criticism, be constructive and not patronizing.


	10. Chapter 10: Summer 1992Back to Hogwarts

A:N/ Welcome back everyone! I want to thank all of those who favorited/followed the story and those who have left positive reviews for me! You have no idea how much I appreciate your positive feedback.

I received a review stating that the Unforgivable Curses were not able to be cast silently. There is absolutely no evidence stating that this is accurate. In neither the books nor the movies does it ever say that the Unforgivables couldn't be cast silently.

Also, I know that Cedric Diggory, Cassius Warrington, and Roger Davies (Who I put in Harry's year), were actually in the year below in canon. Meaning they were 17 year old sixth years in _The Goblet of Fire _however I simply bumped them up a year.

—

_Chapter 10: Summer 1992 and Back to Hogwarts_

Harry stood in the room he had lived in for almost seven years. His bedroom at Black Cottage had been modified over the years in order to accommodate his needs. It was probably around the same size as the master suite that housed Sirius. Book shelves lined the walls holding tomes on all sorts of different advanced teachings, from DADA to weapon crafting. There was very little knowledge of the Wizarding World that Harry was not interested in.

Harry walked over to Hedwig's perch by the window, where his Snowy Owl was cleaning her feathers. He affectionately stroked her head as she preened under his ministrations.

"Oh Hedwig. What on Earth am I gonna do?" Harry sighed.

Hedwig gave her opinion in what seemed like a half-hoot, half-bark.

"Yeah, yeah you're right of course," he relented. Hedwig straightened proudly, basking in her Master's approval.

"Harry?" Sirius called softly from the doorway, knocking softly on the door.

"Hey Sirius. Look, I wanted to apologize for the other day at Hogwarts," Harry said contritely. "I know its no excuse, but I had just been through Hell and my Occlumency was all sorts of messed up. I shouldn't have exploded like that."

To his surprise Sirius just barked out in laughter.

"Harry you have nothing to apologize for," his Godfather stated. "You're a fourteen year old young man who had to take a life to save his own. Your hormones are all out of whack. There is nothing to be sorry about."

"Even though I felt nothing about killing Quirrell?" Harry asked, dreading the answer.

Sirius smile fell abruptly. "I'm not going to lie to you Harry, that unnerves me a bit. Saying that however, I understand why that might be. After that blasted Halloween you grew up in Hell. Your childhood was the stuff of nightmares and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. It made you cold and in some cases ruthless, but you still care about people. You will never be comparable to Voldemort or the cowards that follow him."

"You know that you saved me right Sirius?" Harry inquired. "I had run away from that place with no plan at all. There was something in my Magic calling me to the supermarket and I followed it and found you. There is nothing I could do to repay you for that."

Sirius crossed the room and hugged Harry, delighted he was hugging back just as tightly.

"You never have to repay me for anything Harry," Sirius said emotionally. "Before you came back to me I had basically turned into someone else. I threw myself into work and my Lordship, I became cold and unforgiving, locking up criminals and throwing away the key. I became less fun-loving and pardon the pun, but more serious. So you say that I saved you, but I can say with certainty that you saved me from becoming my father. My worst nightmare.

"As for that that feeling you had, bringing you to that market, I felt the same. I've done some research and found a possible answer. When you were born and I became your Godfather, it wasn't simply a title given to me. I took a Magical Oath that said I would be there for you whenever you would need it. That feeling I told you about happened quite a few time over those years and it all came to head that day. I also remembered a conversation I had with your Grandfather, Charlus, when I had run away from my parents. He told your father and I that he and my Grandfather, Arcturus, were very close. They had both fought against Grindelwald together. Arcturus did not survive the final battle but made another Oath with Charlus. Apparently Potters and Blacks are oath bound to protect each other if the need ever arises. I think it was the combination of those oaths that led us to each other."

Harry took all this in. It made sense that those prior Oaths would Magically pull them to each other. He couldn't be sure as no one could actually grasp the complete way in which Magic worked.

"Sirius, there's another thing I wanted to talk to you about," Harry said hesitantly. "I barely got by Quirrell, I barely survived actually."

"Harry what you did is something most grown adults wouldn't be able to accomplish," said Sirius vehemently.

"I know that, but still, I need to be stronger," Harry insisted. "I need more trainers. No offense, but dueling the same people over and over again hasn't given me much to learn. I've basically memorized Remus', Cissy's, Bella's, Andi;s and your own fighting style. Don't get me wrong I'm incredibly thankful for what you all have done for me but I need to be better."

At first Sirius had been hurt by Harry's declaration. However, his logical side won out and he realized that he did have a point. Harry had been wiping the floor with the Blacks and Remus for well over a year now. His immense spell arsenal and power would only get him so far. It was time to bring out the big guns.

"You're right Harry," Sirius conceded. "Tell you what, we have just under a month until we leave for the Bahamas. I'll call in a couple favors and get a couple friends to come over to work with you. After we get back, I'll bring in the best dueler I've ever seen."

Harry's eyes lit up in excitement and quickly nodded his head in agreement. He was beyond excited to meet his new trainers.

—

Days later found Harry eagerly awaiting the arrival of his new teachers. He was startled out of thoughts when Sirius called out to him from the kitchen upstairs.

"Harry! They're here!" He called. On cue the door opened and admitted a tall, muscular Black man. The door was held open for a moment before it closed behind him.

"Ah you must be Heir Potter/Black," she stated in melodious baritone voice. "I am Auror Second Class Kingsley Shacklebolt. Its good to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too Auror Shacklebolt. Please call me Harry," Harry replied cordially. "Forgive me, but I thought there were supposed to be two of you?"

"Please call me Kingsley," he replied with an easy smile. The easiness of the smile quickly turned sad. "I'm terribly sorry about this Harry, if it makes you feel better, I was completely against this."

"Against wh-," Harry tried to say before a spell collided with his back, sending him forcefully into the warded walls of the training room.

To Harry's immense pleasure, he was met with the shocked eyes of Kingsley and the stunned face, if you could call it that, of a disfigured man with one dark eye and large blue one. The scarred man was pulling off an Invisibility Cloak and quickly regained his composure.

"First lesson," the man yelled gruffly. "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

Kingsley was still looking at the boy with no small sense of amazement. 'Still conscious after a _Stunner _from Mad-Eye Moody. This kid will be special,' he thought as Harry began to stand up a bit shakily. Now he had his wand in his hand.

"Now we've been told that you know your spells and you have power in spades, which is obvious as you were able to shake off my _Stunner _as if it was a _Tickling Charm_," the man said. "I am former Auror Captain Alastor Moody, call me Mad-Eye and you get cursed. For the next three weeks we will try wiping the floor with your arse and you will try to stop us." With that, Moody sent another _Stunner _at Harry. He easily redirected it to Kingsley. Kingsley was surprised but shielded against it with a smile.

"I suppose I deserved that," he said with a chuckle. Moody laughed outright.

"Excellent!" He exclaimed. "Now _that _ is constant vigilance! Always be on your toes! Now lets get started.

—-

Three weeks later and Harry was still overcoming the soreness in muscles he didn't know existed, but he didn't regret his training for a moment. Mid way through the second week, he had improved enough to be able to beat Kingsley one on one, and the start of the third week signified his first defeat of Alastor Moody. Neither victory came easy, and he had to work harder and harder to beat them in later bouts. Moody, in his almost excessive paranoia, continually modified or completely changed his fighting styles leaving Harry having to improvise more often than not.

It was now the last day of their training, and the day before Harry was scheduled to go to the Bahamas. The training scheduled for that day involved what they had been working on for the past three. Kingsley and Moody against Harry.

Harry was panting as his shield powered through another two-pronged assault. He could feel his Magic flowing through him, eager to be released. He was still astounded that he had not suffered Magical Exhaustion throughout any of their training. His Magical Reserves were immense to begin with, and as he grew older, they seemed to just grow more.

He parried a mother barrage of Curses, this time swatting them away. As the last spell came from Kingsley's wand, Harry went with a different approach. Instead of swatting the spell away, he caught it on the tip of his wand, swirled it around his head, adding more power to it as he did and let it loose back towards its source. Kingsley's eyes widened in surprise as the _Stunner _hit him in the chest and knocked him out of the fight.

With his attention on Kingsley, he didn't see the _Bludgeoning Hex _from Moody as it caught him in the shoulder, sending him flying across the room.

"Get up boy!" Moody barked.

Just like that Harry wasn't there any more.

_He was back in Number Four Privet Drive. He was seven years old, curled up in a ball trying to shield himself from the baseball bat being swung at his ribs._

"_Get up Boy!" Vernon Dursley snarled. Another swing struck him in the midsection, breaking ribs in the process. _

"_I said up Freak!" A meaty hand wrapped around the throat of Harry Potter and forced the boy onto his feet. "You're lucky I don't kill you where you stand boy. Unfortunately I don't want to waste my time getting rid of the body. Petunia! Get my knife! I'm going to show this little shite what happens the next time he burns my dinner."_

_Harry's screams echoed of the walls of the basement of Number Four Privet Drive. With Vernon and Petunia's sadism coming to light, they found it necessary to sound proof the walls of the basement, so no one would hear the Freak get his just deserves._

The flashback ended almost as soon as it began. Harry raised his head, his eyes glowing an eerie as he remembered what his Uncle did to him. Being called boy always angered him. He wasn't sure why he hadn't reacted this badly when Quirrell called him 'boy' but he couldn't worry about that now. He raised his wand and renewed the fight with Moody with vigor.

Spells flew from Harry's wand, silently and without wand movements. His rage was fueling his spells with so much power, he did not realize that Moody's natural eye had widened in fear.

"_Confringo!_" Harry yelled. His _Blasting Curse _shattered the older man's shield and struck him in the chest. Luckily for both duelists, Moody's shield had taken quite a bit of power off the spell, so instead of blowing the former Auror to pieces, it broke quite a few ribs. Moody's wand had rolled away from his barely conscious body.

Harry stepped up to Moody and bound him in ropes. He looked down at the man with cold eyes.

"Never call me 'Boy' again," Harry said, his wand never leaving the man's face.

"Harry that's enough," a calm yet stern voice called from the doorway of the practice room. Sirius stood there watching the events calmly. Seeing his Godfather standing there with no disappointment at all in his eyes, just understanding, Harry felt his anger fall away immediately only to be replaced with mental exhaustion.

With a tired sigh, Harry unbound the ex-Auror and quickly healed him.

"Sorry about that Moody, I guess I went a little overboard there," Harry said sincerely. Despite the fact that they were training, Harry had no wish to really hurt the man.

"Sorry?! Ha that was bloody brilliant!" Moody declared. "You just beat me down like I was an insect! I've brought in dozens of Dark Wizards and none of them had me on my back foot as much as you. Well done lad!"

Harry had to smile at the man's enthusiasm for being blasted around by a fourteen year old. Anyone else would have griped or made excuses, but Moody just enjoyed teaching select people on how to fight. And teach he did. Harry had learnt quite a bit about _fighting, _not dueling. Moody and Kingsley emphasized that they would be teaching him how to fight rather than how to duel. There were no pleasantries or etiquette in fighting, only survival. And survival was something that Harry was good at.

—

It was time.

The large party of Blacks, Tonks, and Delacours had arrived at the Black Beach House in Nassau, Bahamas via International Portkey. The group had settled in and quickly made their way to the private beach. That is, everyone except for Harry, Sirius, Nym, and Fleur.

Sirius was in the sitting room and had just sent Nym and Fleur up to Harry's room where he would be waiting for them. Sirius was there for that, but his main objective was to be there for any potential damage control. It was highly unlikely that the two young ladies would react negatively to Harry or rush off to tell anyone else, but Sirius insisted on being there just in case. Sirius would also be there to help Harry apply _Glamour Charms _to his torso.

—-

Harry was sitting in the center of his room, legs crossed under him in a meditative position with his hands on his knees as he practiced his Occlumency to regain his composure and settle his nerves. While Harry thought he was sitting on the floor, that was no longer true. His meditation was so intense that he, and several items in the room had begun to float. That was the scene that Nym and Fleur had walked into after their knocks had gone unanswered.

At that point in their friendship, they were not surprised in Harry's Magical prowess, they could not stop the awed expressions on their faces as they witnessed Harry floating in the air.

"Harry?" Nym called out. That broke Harry's concentration causing the floating items to drop before Harry followed them unceremoniously with an "Oof." The girls giggled as Harry stood and rubbed his bruised arse.

As soon as Harry regained his feet, he turned to the disturbance and saw his two best friends trying to stifle their laughter at him falling on his bum. Harry's complexion quickly paled slightly as he dreaded what was to come.

"Ladies," he began uncertainly.

"What's going on Harry? Sirius said you wanted to talk with us," Fleur said after recovering from her humor.

"Yeah, um, well, you see I have something important to tell you two, and I hope you can bear with me here," Harry stammered while he wiped his sweaty hands on his shorts.

"It's okay Harry, just relax, take it slow and start when you're ready," Nym comforted. Harry nodded before taking a deep breath.

"You know how I don't talk about my life before I came to live with Sirius right?"

Both girls nodded. "Yeah but you'd never go into it with us, or with anyone for that matter. All we know that it wasn't very pleasant," Nym stated.

Harry chuckled humorlessly. "That's putting it lightly. I know I haven't been very forthcoming in that time but I'd like to talk to you about it now."

Again, he received nods from his audience and they each took a seat at the end of the bed while he took the chair at the desk.

"Tell me," he began. "What do you know about Sadism?" At his question, he received blank stares from his friends, which wasn't too surprising considering the Wizarding World's disposition to anything Mundane. Harry sighed.

"The clinical definition describes a Sadist as someone who gains pleasure, usually sexual pleasure, by causing pain, suffering and humiliation. To put it simply, Vernon and Petunia Dursley are sadists of the worst sort," Harry said gravely, his head down as he remembered some of the experiences he endured.

Harry watched as the ramifications of what he said sank into his friends. Nym's hair went from her usual bubbly pink to a shade of green, signifying her disgust, while steam started form on Fleur's hands.

"What did they do to you?" Nym whispered.

Instead of vocally responding, Harry took a deep breath and stood. His fingers shakily began unbuttoning his shirt to show them the results of the manipulations of one old man. He closed his eyes tightly as he shrugged the garment from his shoulders. He heard the girls' gasp as they took in his exposed torso but he didn't open his eyes in fear of what he might see in their eyes.

His eyes did snap open however when he felt a hand on his shoulder, where he suffered a rather severe grease burn when he had burnt bacon, and another hand on one of the several belt lash marks on his back. He first saw, Nym gently tracing his grease burn. She looked up at him with teary eyes.

"Harry?" She whispered, almost as if she was unsure of what to say. He could only see affection and caring in her gaze. No hate or disgust towards him.

"It's alright Nym," Harry whispered reassuringly. "I'm getting over some of the insecurities I've developed from them, slowly but surely. But despite that, I will make sure they pay for it."

Her eyes widened at his declaration and he could see the emotions warring in her eyes. He saw fear and reluctance that was quickly replaced by acceptance and determination as her face hardened and she nodded.

"How did you survive this Harry?" He heard from behind him as Fleur's delicate fingers stopped tracing his marred back.

"My Magic kept me alive and saved my life more than I could remember," Harry said despondently. "There was one time where I thought it was all over." As he said that, he unconsciously grabbed his left wrist and the scar that resulted in his lowest point.

Fleur came around to stand in front of him and she and Nym both gave him questioning looks. Knowing he couldn't avoid the confrontation any longer, he heaved another large breath and succumbed.

"It was actually a few weeks before Sirius rescued me. Vernon had been particularly brutal that week and I couldn't stand it anymore. I felt weak, helpless and hopeless that my hell would end. When I was first dumped there, I was old enough that I remembered my life before. I couldn't fathom what I was going through when I knew they were living a comfortable life. Vernon was always a proponent that a real man used a single blade razor to shave so I nicked one and cut my wrist. It was the lowest I've ever been," he finished ashamedly as he presented his arm to the girls.

Their tears had not stopped throughout Harry's tale. They were not sobbing nor wailing, merely shedding distraught tears at their friend's suffering. Harry had gone through so much in his fifteen years of life and yet he was still so good to the people he cared about. Hell he was also giving the Potter's a chance at forgiveness.

As if waiting for a mental cue, both Nym and Fleur threw themselves at Harry and he quickly gathered them up, and held them close. Harry's emotions started going haywire as his two beautiful best friends held him tightly, as if he would disappear if they let go. And Harry held on just as tightly.

"Did you think we would look at you, or treat you differently because of this?" Fleur asked as she and Nym ended the hug but each grabbed one of his hands.

Harry nodded reluctantly. "For a long time I considered these scars to be my ultimate shame. If anyone I didn't trust had seen me without a shirt on, they would see me as weak and anyone else might decide that I'm not worth it."

"Don't you say that you bloody idiot!" Nym snapped. "You're the best friend I've ever had and among the best men I know. Fuck those Muggles, and fuck anyone thinks you're weak for any reason. I've been in the same room as Dumbledore more nights than I can count but I can tell you're already more powerful than him in many ways. Your Magic just rolls off of you at times and its incredible."

"She is right Harry," Fleur chimed in. "You are _Le Survivant_. You living through that hell just proves it. Nymphadora is also right about your Magic. I can feel it coming off you in waves as well, and I've found it quite nice."

"You can feel my Magic?" Harry asked surprised. They both nodded in response. "Wait if you can feel it, wouldn't that mean that everyone could?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Fleur responded with Nym nodding along. "I've never seen anyone treat you any differently while I could feel your Aura so it could be noticeable to those closest to you."

Nym nodded in agreement again. "Yeah nobody has mentioned anything different at Hogwarts either so maybe Fleur is right."

"All right, well now that all the depressing stuff is out of the way let me put a _Glamour Charm _on and we can head to the beach," Harry declared. He quickly spelled his back clean and headed for the door only to see Nym still sitting on the bed. She was biting her lower lip in what looked like nervousness as she tried to summon the courage to say what she needed to. She cleared her throat and went to speak.

"Well, before we go, and while we're spilling secrets, there is something I'd like to get off my chest," she admitted. Harry looked to Fleur and they shrugged at each other before going to the bed and sitting on wither side of Nym, hoping she could draw comfort from them.

"Well you see, ummmm, I found something out about myself over the past year or so," Nym said. Her face a deep shade of red. "Well it turns out that I'm just as attracted to women as I am to men."

Harry's eyes widened and his face turned red as his mind involuntarily produced some rather saucy images of his oldest friend. He was so preoccupied with his inappropriate thoughts that he didn't notice Fleur's eyes glaze over in desire.

"So yeah. I'm bisexual and it just so happens that I'm attracted to my two closest friends!" She blurted out. As soon as she said it, her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand. Harry's eyes were in danger of falling out of his skull. He was shocked even further when Fleur grabbed Nym by the face and planted a kiss right on her lips.

Again Harry's eyes almost popped out of his head but his surprise was quickly replaced with both happiness and sadness. This put him in quite the conundrum. He was of course happy for his friends as long as they were happy with each other. On the other hand, he couldn't help but feel sad as the two women he cared most for didn't care about him in the same way.

"I'll give you guys some space," Harry said with a sad smile. He made to get up and leave them to it, when he felt a hand grab his wrist and stop him. He turned to see that it was Fleur who grabbed his wrist. He didn't have time to say anything as Fleur quickly moved into his personal and kissed him on the lips.

If things like this kept happening, Harry felt that he was truly in danger of permanently losing his eyeballs from his skull. His wide eyes quickly searched out Nym's equally wide eyes. Her lips quirked into a small smile and she merely shrugged so he turned his attention into enjoying Fleur's lips. They were almost absurdly soft and tasted slightly of cherry. The kiss didn't turn into a snog as it was mainly exploratory but Harry couldn't help but want more.

Almost all too soon, Fleur pulled away from Harry with a small smile that was mirrored on Harry's face. His smile quickly turned into a frown.

"Wait what the Hell just happened?" Harry asked.

"Well I thought it was pretty obvious," Fleur stated. "I kissed Nymphadora, and then I kissed you. For someone who is supposed to be so smart you seemed to miss the obvious at times."

"Don't be mean Fleur," Nym scolded. "I think you might have broken him a bit."

"My apologies Nymphadora," Fleur replied. "I just meant it was obvious that you fancied Harry and I from what you said, I fancy you and Harry, as I showed through my actions. I'm sure it isn't too crazy to think that Harry fancies the both of us, non?"

Nym gaped a bit like a goldfish, trying to take in everything Fleur said so nonchalantly, so factually. Sure she fancied the Hell out of both of her friends. Fleur was basically a Goddess who had the smarts and personality to match her looks and Harry was essentially the next Merlin in terms of Magical prowess. He was also ridiculously good looking, being tall, handsome and in great shape. His caring of his friends and his family was among her favorite things about him.

"So what, you want the three of us to be together?" Nym asked. "And how the bloody hell would we do that?"

And just like that it clicked in Harry's head.

"My multiple Lordships," he whispered. Nym looked to him dumbly while Nym smiled brightly as he finally came to his epiphany.

"Oui," Fleur said happily.

"What?" Said Nym at the same time.

"As the Heir of two Ancient and Most Noble Houses, I have the choice to take multiple wives to further my line. It's not necessary but neither is it frowned upon," Harry said numbly as he realized his hopes of being with his two friends could very well be a reality. "I'm not going to lie to either of you. Yeah I fancy the both of you, and though I've not given marriage much thought, the only women I could consider marrying at this time would be either of you. Don't think of this as proposal or anything, I'd hate to freak you out. I guess this is just how I feel, how I've felt for awhile now."

Nym looked at Harry in surprise. Apparently they all fancied each other and they actually had a chance to be together. Only a fool wouldn't take the chance that was presented to them, and Nymphadora Tonks was nothing if not an opportunist. She stood up and grabbed Harry with a hand on each cheek and kissed him as if her life depended on it. Getting her answer, Harry wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and returned the kiss, forcing down a chuckle as he heard Fleur squeal and clap happily.

Moments later the kiss ended, leaving both teens breathing deeply with happiness dancing in their eyes.

"All right you two, lets get going!" Fleur ordered. "The sun is out and if you're lucky, I'll let you rub sunscreen on my back." She winked at her now blushing significant others and headed for the door.

"Oh Harry don't forget, it would probably be gentlemanly of you to ask our fathers' permission to court us lovely ladies," the blonde beauty said with a smirk and an exaggerated sashay of her lips as she left the room. Nym chuckled and looked to a rapidly paling Harry. He could only croak out one word.

"Bugger"

—

_Meanwhile at Hogwarts_

Albus Dumbledore sat in the Staff Room of Hogwarts with his four Heads of House. Though it was the Summer holidays, they always met around the midway point of the season to go over the upcoming term, more specifically the selection of Prefects and Quidditch Captains. After the approval of each Professor's specific booklist, and their new DADA Professor's show if Narcissism, they got down to the more exciting part of the meeting.

"Now that all the nitty gritty is over with, shall we move on to more excitable topics?" Dumbledore asked with a jovial smile. And so they did. Minerva McGonagall chose Richard O'Connell and Evelyn Carnahan, Pomona Sprout chose Cedric Diggory and Beatrice Haywood, and Severus Snape chose Cassius Warrington and Jonathan O'Connell, twin brother to Gryffindor's Evelyn. However the time came for the diminutive Charms Master to select his fifth-year prefects and a sense of foreboding was felt by the Headmaster.

"I would like to select Hadrian Potter and Alexandra Bay," declared Filius Flitwick proudly.

While Albus Dumbledore suspected that the elder Potter would indeed be selected as Ravenclaw's Prefect, he was very apprehensive about granting you Hadrian more power in the school. By all the Gods that boy reminded him of Tom Riddle. He was very handsome, charismatic, charming and powerful beyond words. He had a vast network of friends in every house, and of every blood type and he did not discriminate against those less fortunate than him in terms of power, money, or social status. He didn't even care about Political allegiances for Merlin's sake. The boy was too powerful, Magically, socially, and politically, and he hadn't even taken his O. yet.

Unfortunately it fell to the Heads of House to elect fifth-year Prefects. While the Headmaster often gave his advice to the Heads if needed, he could not interfere directly.

"Now Filius do think that is wise?" Asked Dumbledore genially. "Not that I do not think Miss Bay would make an excellent Prefect, its just Mr. Potter that concerns me."

Flitwick's proud demeanor vanished quickly upon hearing the Headmaster's words.

"And why would he concern you Headmaster?" The Charms Master asked.

"It is just...after the events of last term, I fear we may be encouraging extreme rule-breaking should you award Mr. Potter the Prefect position," Dumbledore stated wisely, or so he thought. The four teachers in the room looked at him with varying expressions of incredulity. Even the stoic Potions Master had his black eyebrow raised.

"Your opinion, while preposterous, is noted Headmaster," Flitwick stated fiercely. "Despite your status as Headmaster, you know fully well that Prefects are to be selected by their Head of House. Mr. Potter is among the best students to ever enter this school, he has never received a detention, and his ability in the theory and practical use of Magic is unlike anything I've ever seen. In two years, if you wish to cheat Hadrian out of the Head Boy position for some inane reason, then that is you your prerogative. Until then, Hadrian Potter will be one of my Prefects."

—

_Some Time Later_

All too soon, Harry and Sirius found themselves in the sitting room of Black Cottage. Their vacation to Nassau had been some much needed fun, but had seemed to fly by too quickly for everyone's liking. His budding romance with Fleur and Nym was easily the highlight for Harry. It made him even happier when he thought about how Nym and Fleur were with each other as much as he was with them. Telling everyone who was there was easier than he anticipated. While Ted Tonks, having come from a Muggle upbringing, balked a bit before Andi had pulled him aside and explained the situation to him. After he gave it a fair bit of thought, Ted had congratulated the trio and accepted that his little girl had grown up.

"Good vacation?" Came the kind voice of Remus Lupin from the hallway. Unfortunately, Remus was unable to go on vacation with the rest of the family because the full moon cycle had fallen directly in the middle of their trip. Sirius and the other adults offered many times to delay the trip but Remus wouldn't hear any of it.

"Very relaxing," Sirius replied. He then looked over to Harry who had a dreamy smile on his face. "Though I think some enjoyed theirs more than others."

"Oh?" A curious Remus replied.

"Oh yes. You see my brilliant Godson got himself a couple girlfriends," Sirius stated proudly.

"Oh that's nice," Remus said noncommittally before doing a double take. "Wait, did you say '_girlfriends_'? As in plural?"

"Yep! It seems between Harry, Fleur, and Nymphadora, all hold a candle for one another and it all came out on the first day of the trip," Sirius stated. "It sounds as if they are apart of some story or something with that luck."

"Bloody Hell Harry. How did you manage that?" Remus asked incredulously. Upon hearing his name, Harry snapped out of his dreamlike funk and focused in on Remus.

"Well it pretty much went exactly as Sirius said. This isn't however, a situation in which they are sharing me while I date both of them. We are all together. I'm dating Nym and Fleur. Fleur is dating Nym and I and vice verse for Nym. We're Polyamorous, I believe the term is," Harry explained.

Remus whistled, impressed at the entire situation. "How did telling their parents go?" He asked sympathetically.

"Honestly? It could have gone worse," the teen replied. "Jean-Sebastian, Appolline and Andi were very supportive at the first word. Ted took a bit to come around, but once Andi explained everything to him, he seemed to accept it and be happy for us."

Remus merely nodded, once again astounded by Harry's maturity and how fast he had grown up. He could still remember the scared little boy who was brought home by Sirius almost seven years ago now, and the young man in front of him was almost unrecognizable from that child.

"Well that's great," Remus said absently. "Well, now that we're all here, how about we get to training Harry? Unless of course you're still on vacation mode?"

Harry's eyes lit up in excitement at getting back to work. "Let's go Moony!" He declared. "What do you have planned?"

"Another spell that's beyond N.E.W.T level. I hope you never have to use it, however I believe it would be prudent for you to learn. It's called the _Patronus Charm _and its the textbook defensive measure against Dementors and Lethifolds," Remus announced.

"Let's do it," Harry said excitedly.

"Before you go Harry, I called in a favor and got you one last tutor for the rest of the summer," Sirius stated. "They'll be here at the start of the week."

—

_One Week Later _

"Come on Harry, focus!" Remus shouted as Harry barely managed to create the mist shield of a non-corporeal _Patronus_. They had been working on the spell for a week now, and there seemed to be very little improvement. This surprised Remus and frustrated Harry to no end.

He was Hadrian Fucking Potter for Merlin's sake. He didn't have trouble learning and perfecting spells. This Charm however seemed like it was going to be the death of him. They had been at it for hours, as it was supposed to be the first day in which his new tutor would arrive.

"I am!" Harry exclaimed defiantly. "I have the memory picked out and everything, but I cant seem to get it right."

Remus paused to consider this. The basic theory behind the _Patronus Charm _was that the spell was powered by a happy memory, the happier the person could conjure the better. His own _Patronus _was powered by the memories of his school days, particularly when James and Sirius found out about his Lycanthropy and vowed to not abandon him. He purposely left out the Rat's involvement of those times as they seriously jumbled his emotions to the point where he found the spell difficult to cast. With that thought it clicked.

"Harry, when you recall the memory, what do you focus on?" The Werewolf asked.

Harry thought about it for a moment. "I suppose I try to remember the exact details of the memories. I think of when Sirius brought me home for the first time and when Nym, Fleur and I got together."

"That's what I thought," Remus said sagely. "While you think of your memories, focus on the emotions you were feeling rather than recalling the minute details. The _Patronus Charm _needs positive emotions like joy and love to power it and with you trying to accomplish perfect recall, you're not using the emotions associated with the memories."

Harry nodded and couldn't help but feel annoyed that he couldn't figure that out. He was told to use his happiest memories, ones that were joyful and yet he had been focusing on silly details such as the when and where. Throwing away the growing annoyance and frustration, Harry closed his eyes and recalled the feelings that he associated with the memories and brought them to the forefront of his mind. He remembered the pure joy he had experienced when Sirius saved him. When the Black Lord had welcomed Harry into his home and treated him as a son. He remembered the love and affection he experienced with Nym and Fleur less than a fortnight ago and couldn't fight the smile that spread his face and the single tear that escaped his eye.

"_Expecto Patronum_," he incanted softly, not opening his eyes even as the door to the dueling room opened.

He did open his eyes when he heard a sharp intake of breath and an excited squeak. He was able to see his attempt at the _Patronus Charm _as it took the form of a large four legged creature. At first glance he thought it was his Animagus form of a Direwolf, however after closer observation, he could see it was smaller than his form. He looked to the door, where he had heard the gasp, and saw Sirius standing there next to a bouncing Filius Flitwick. Harry could see from where he was standing that Sirius' eyes were glistening uncharacteristically and he realized why a second later as he finally recognized that his _Patronus _was an exact replica of Sirius' Animagus form. the only difference of course was that it was white rather than the jet black of Sirius.

"Oh-ho that's quite the _Patronus _Mr. Potter!" Squeaked Professor Flitwick excitedly. "I've never seen someone as young as yourself cast one."

"Thank you Professor," Harry said humbly as his white Grim had begun to run around the room and finally settle down next to Sirius. "I guess I have some strong emotions to go alongside my memories."

Sirius looked up from where he had been staring at the _Patronus _with a big, goofy smile on his face. His eyes still held the watery sheen to them as he looked from the corporeal dog to his Godson.

"Of course," Flitwick replied with a knowing smile.

"I'm sorry Professor. I don't want to sound rude but why are you here?" Harry asked.

"Ah! Forgive me Mr. Potter, I got so excited about your _Patronus_ that I forgot to announce myself," the Half-Goblin said. "I'm here for two reasons actually. The first being that I have your Hogwarts letter. Yes I know it is a bit early but I wanted to hand deliver it to you myself and congratulate you for making Prefect this year."

Remus, Sirius and Harry all smiled. Despite their past reputations of being pranksters at school, the two adults knew of Harry's ambitions and figured that becoming a Prefect would be a stepping stone for the young man. Harry was smiling as his thoughts were similar to those of Moony and Padfoot.

"And of course the second reason is me being your tutor for the remainder of the Summer," Filius exclaimed gleefully, with an almost predatory smile on his face.

Harry decided there and then that he rather disliked that smile on his Professor's face. It was common knowledge in Magical Britain that Filius Flitwick was once an international Dueling Champion and Harry had no doubt that the little man retained his edge and would wipe the floor with him. It was surely going to be an interesting month and change. That brought something else into question.

"Thank you Professor. You have no idea how much I appreciate you helping me," Harry said earnestly. "Will you be working with me all they up until school starts?"

Flitwick nodded. "While I usually am humble about this, I learned quite a bit during my days on the Dueling Circuit. If you would like, I'd be more than happy to impart as much of my knowledge as possible to you," Flitwick promised. "I'd also be willing to share some combat forms I've learned due to my...um, my heritage."

"Please Filius, Harry is an information sponge," Remus said fondly. "Anything you teach him he'll absorb almost word for word."

Filius laughed as he had experienced the elder Potter son in action for the past four years in his class. His laugh quickly formed into a smile that one could only describe as devious.

"Well, shall we begin?"

—

_August 19th 1992_

With Flitwick's extreme regimen, the remainder of the Summer passed quickly. He had trained long and hard, day in and day out. Flitwick came by three times a week and basically wiped the floor with Harry. Harry had prided himself on being able to observe and analyze the fighting styles of his teachers, he had found Professor Flitwick's to be almost impossible to track. The man moved so quickly, it was almost like he was in two places at once. During one of their practice duels, Harry had discovered the While his Charms Professor was far more skilled than he was, Harry could appeal that he had more raw power at his disposal than the diminutive man. Flitwick had kept an almost unending barrage of spells at Harry forcing him to use a _Shield_ _Charm _to keep from losing. He realized then and there that while allowing small amounts of Magic to flow into the shield, he was able to fend off his Professor's attacks almost effortlessly. That of course ended when Filius Flitwick summoned a piece of conjured debris from behind Harry, knocking the young wizard out.

Harry and Daniel's birthday passed by with little fanfare. Due to his celebrity status, Danny had a rather large party with important dignitaries and people high up in the Wizarding World. Harry on the other hand enjoyed a nice quiet dinner at Black Cottage with those closest to him. Fleur had Flooed from her father's office and had stayed the night to Floo back in the morning via Sirius' office. It was of course the first birthday celebration in which Fleur, Nym and Harry were together. They had celebrated by spending the day together, mostly just basking in each other's warm embrace with the occasional snog. As was natural for three hormonal teenagers, hands had wandered to the pleasure of all involved, but it did not progress further than that as all three laid out rather generous boundaries for each other.

Despite Harry's training progressing nicely, he was eager to have the nineteenth of August off. The day was scheduled on the day of Danny's party as the day in which the Blacks, Potters and Weasleys were to go to Diagon Alley together and get their school shopping done. Because Harry got his letter so early, he had already done his shopping and decided to come along to hang out with Nym and the Weasley twins.

And so Harry had found himself at the historical Leaky Cauldron pub waiting for the Potter and Weasley party to arrive. Harry's group consisted of himself hand in hand with Nym, Sirius, Remus and Narcissa. Cissy had been trying to meet with Draco on numerous occasions only to be shot down time and time again. It was her plan to hopefully track him down today and talk to him. Remus of course was there to support her.

Soon enough, a gaggle of redheads emerged from the fireplace. The Weasleys made their way over to Harry and he Blacks. It was a bit awkward at first as Arthur and Molly seemed to be a bit wary of Sirius, Harry and Narcissa but greeted Remus and Tonks warmly. Harry suspected that they were apprehensive around Sirius due to his aggressive fighting nature in the first war, and the cold calculating Lord Black he had turned into after Halloween of 1981. The wariness towards Narcissa was easy enough to explain as her ex-husband was Lucius Malfoy and the Weasleys and Malfoy were constantly at each other's throats. Their reactions toward himself confused him. He was rather good friends with Fred and George but maybe they didn't talk about him much. He figured that they just saw him as an unknown factory and were merely cautious around him.

Fred and George made a beeline for Harry and Nym dragging the only Weasley girl in between them. The twins noticed their entwined hands and Fred's face lit up with a smile while George looked downtrodden.

"Blimey its about time you two!" Fred exclaimed happily. "You guys just made me quite a bit of coin!"

"Oh? And what do you mean by that?" Nym asked dangerously, her fingers resting on the hilt of her wand. Something that did not go unnoticed as Fred took a step back and raised his hands up in a placating gesture.

"Now now there is no need for that," he explained hastily. "It's just that there was a betting pool going around at school pertaining to the two of you getting together. And I may have won with my bet.

"There was a pool?" Harry asked surprised. "How many people knew about this? And why didn't the teachers put a stop to it?

This time it was George who spoke up. "Please Harrikins! Half the staff were in the pool! Though I think both McGonagall and Flitwick had you two getting together well before this summer."

"My less handsome twin here thought you both would take another year to remove your heads from your arses and figure it out," Fred stated.

"And my apparent Seer of a twin guessed this Summer so it seems he at least wins something," George glumly retorted. "We'll have to ask Cedric when we're him next."

"Cedric started it?!" Nym blurted. "When I see that pretty boy next, I'm going to hex his bits off!"

It was then that they remembered the little girl that stood in between Fred and George as she let out a squeak and a blush at Nym's colorful language.

"Ah sorry about that Little Red. Got a little carried away," Nym said sheepishly.

"No we should be the ones apologizing," George said apologetically as he looked down to the girl, who was obviously the youngest Weasley. And the first girl in seven generations.

"Yeah _we _got a little carried away and forgot about our sister for Merlin's sake!" Fred exclaimed. "Harry, Tonks this is our sister ickle Ginny. Ginny this is Harry and Tonks."

"Hello," the now-named Ginny mumbled shyly. "We've met before Harry, at one of Daniel's birthday parties."

Like a trigger, Harry remembered seeing the small red headed girl trailing after his younger brother all doe-eyed and red-faced. Just remembering that brought a slight smile to his face and he couldn't resist the opportunity to tease the young girl.

"That's right! You were looking at little Danny like he'd hung the Earth," he teased. He was surprised however that instead of getting an embarrassed blush like he had hoped, he had gotten almost no reaction besides an almost sheepish smile.

"All my life I was read some of those ridiculous Boy Who Lived stories but as I grew older, they just became more and more ridiculous," Ginny said rather maturely. And just like that, Harry's respect for the girl increased dramatically. While she had admitted to being a fan girl a couple of years ago, she had clearly matured and left such childish things behind.

Soon enough the Potters arrived and after pleasantries were exchanged, the obscenely large group made their way into the crowded Diagon Alley.

—-

Hours later, an exhausted group made their way into their last shop of the day and as luck would have it, it was easily the most crowded.

At Flourish and Blotts_, _there was a preposterous amount of people clamoring around the open area usually used for author meetings. Women ranging from pre-Hogwarts age all the way to elderly made up the majority of the group. Nym pointed a sign out to him stating that Gilderoy Lockhart was signing copies of his books for the day. Harry grudgingly admitted to himself that it was quite a good ploy for Lockhart himself. After all, it was one of the last weekends before the Hogwarts Express was to leave and those families that waited until the last minute to go to Diagon Alley. While he thought it was good for the man himself, it surely wasn't good for anyone else as moving in the bookshop was nigh impossible.

"What a load of dragon dung," Harry muttered. Lily Potter was standing off to Harry's right and surprisingly heard him.

"What was that Harry?" She asked. This brought the attention of almost their entire group.

"Well I got my letter a few weeks early and did my shopping with Sirius soon after. I like to get ahead of my studies and I read through Lockhart's books. There are inconsistencies everywhere. Like at one point he's dealing with a Banshee, but the next book says he was leaving to fight off a Vampire on that same day. I just get a bad feeling about the man," he said. He saw Sirius, James and Arthur Weasley grinning like Christmas came early while Molly Weasley harrumphed and moved to wait in line. Lily however had a curious look on her face.

"So what...do you think he writes fiction and passes it off as biographical?" She asked and almost immediately a second, more dastardly option came into her mind. "Or are you thinking that he is taking credit for what other people have done?"

"I hope for the former and dread the latter. I'm leaning toward him writing fiction because it would be easier for him. But if he is passing these actions off as his own, why isn't anyone calling him out on it?" He asked rhetorically and noted that Lily paled as she came to the same conclusion that he had. There was something potentially devious surrounding the man.

Soon enough, the group was able move up significantly in line. They were nearing the front when Ronald was nearly bowled over by a photographer in a hurry.

"Out of the way there," the little man snarled. "This is for the Daily Prophet!"

At that point Lockhart looked up and noticed the group and almost immediately his gaze sharpened to Daniel.

"It can't be Daniel Potter!" He half-shouted causing whispers to erupt in the crowd. He rose from his seat and dived to grab Daniel, only Harry was faster. Before the man's hand could grasp Danny's wrist, Harry's caught Lockhart's. The crowd gasped as Lockhart winced, and as quickly as Harry moved, Sirius and James were right beside the Harry and Lockhart.

"Do you normally go around grabbing twelve year old boys without permission Mr. Lockhart," Harry said earning another scandalized gasp from the crowd. Lockhart winced again as Harry squeezed and the two bones in Lockhart's wrist rubbed harshly together.

"I-I just wanted to g-get a couple of p-pictures together," Lockhart said. "I meant no harm!"

"Well then why don't you ask him nicely? And maybe apologize?" Harry asked, not relenting one bit on his grip.

"Ahhh. I'm sorry Mr. Potter for trying to grab you," he started. "I let my excitement get the better of me and acted without thinking. I just wanted to see if you would like a picture together, I'm sure we'd be worth the front page of the Daily Prophet together."

Throughout the encounter, Daniel stood motionless and wide-eyed at the interaction between his brother and a world renowned fighter against the Dark Arts. He realized that he was being addressed by Lockhart almost too late.

"Ummmm, sure Mr. Lockhart one picture would be fine," Daniel replied. He didn't miss the disappointment in his brother's eyes.

And just like that, Gilderoy Lockhart regained his confidence and composure and an annoyingly bright smile lit up his face. Harry reluctantly released his hold on Lockhart and the man got a warning to not lose control like that again.

"Ladies and gentlemen what an extraordinary moment this is," Lockhart declared loudly, waving for silence. "The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time! When young Daniel stepped into Flourish and Blotts today with his family, he only wanted to purchase my autobiography. He had no idea however, that he would be getting so much more! He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real Magical me. Yes that's right, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

The way the crowd reacted made it seem like nothing out of the ordinary had happened mere moments before. The older ladies clapped enthusiastically, the girls of Hogwarts nearly swooned, and even the men who were reluctantly there looked on in approval.

It was Harry's group however, who did not react so happily. After the rather dark conversation between Harry and Lily, those two, along with James, Sirius and Nym watched on in apprehension. With a potentially dangerous man in a position of power inside of Hogwarts, there could once again be problems at Hogwarts.

Not a moment too soon the group had finally made their way to the front door with the children leading the charge and the adults bringing up the rear. Just when Harry began to think that the dreaded shopping day was over, a snide voice rang in his ears. He had to fight off the urge to curse the speaker into smithereens.

"Bet you loved that didn't you Potter?" The voice sneered. "The famous Daniel Potter, can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

"Jealous Heir Malfoy?" Harry jumped in before Daniel could say anything. "I don't know why you find yourself humble enough to complain about someone's societal status when you feel the need to remind everyone about your father every ten minutes."

Draco Malfoy flushed red at the elder Potter's quip, especially considering he was right.

"What's the matter Malfoy? Kneazle got your tongue or are you too surprised someone actually talked back to you?" Ronald Weasley taunted.

"The only thing that surprises me is seeing you in a store Weasel. I suppose your family will go hungry for a month having to pay for all those books," Malfoy shot back. "Though I suppose your mother could do with less food."

Ronald's ears went red in fury as he went to smack the blonde ponce upside the head before he was interrupted by the voice of his father.

"Ron! What are you doing? It's too crowded in here lets go outside," he suggested jovially, obviously missing the verbal sparring that had just occurred.

"Well, well, well. Arthur Weasley," drawled a cold voice from behind Draco. There stood Lucius Malfoy. Tall with a cold visage and long platinum blonde hair tied in a black ribbon at the bottom of his head, he stood dressed in black robes with silver fastenings and the Malfoy family crest embroidered on his chest. Harry could almost feel James and Sirius stiffen as Lord Malfoy had one hand on his snake headed cane, where Harry knew the man kept his wand. Harry himself could feel his blood boiling as he set eyes on the man who had ruined his Godfather's chances of being a father.

"Lucius," Arthur replied just as coldly.

"Busy time at the Ministry I hear. All those raids... I hope their paying you overtime," Malfoy Senior said. The man reached into Ginny's cauldron and pulled out a battered copy of the first year Transfiguration textbook. "Obviously not. Dear me, what's the use of being the disgrace to the name of Wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"

Arthur Weasley flushed a red far darker than his son had just a moment ago.

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of Wizard, Malfoy," Mr. Weasley responded calmly.

Lucius Malfoy sneered at the Weasley Patriarch and dumped Ginny's books back into her secondhand cauldron. He gave icy looks to both James and Sirius before sneering further at Lily Potter. When his eyes travelled over Harry's they stopped and widened for a second.

Lucius had rarely felt fear in his life. Of course he felt it in the presence of the Dark Lord Voldemort and even felt an inkling of it when he was captured by the Aurors before getting off due to claiming to have been under the _Imperius Curse_. He had never felt fear while looking at a far younger individual until that day. Being a Death Eater, Lucius was very familiar with the _Killing Curse_, having cast it many times on numerous occasions. To see that familiar green looking at you from the coldest eyes he'd ever seen caused a shiver of fear to roll down his spine.

"Come Draco, we are leaving," the man announced. "We should not spend any more time amongst scum than necessary."

Harry watched intently as the Malfoy duo left the shop. Oh how he wanted to end the man. Malfoy was among the biggest sources of gold for bribes in the Ministry. He led the Dark faction of the Wizengamot and almost singlehandedly was the cause for the decline of the Wizarding World.

And one day, Harry was going to kill him.

_Hours Later_

Harry was sitting in his room with no one but Dobby as company. It was time to put some plans into motion.

"Dobby I have a favor to ask of you this year," Harry said to his smallest friend.

"Of course Master Harry! Dobby is at your service!" The excited Elf proclaimed.

"I need you to watch someone in your free time," Harry started. "He's a twelve year old Muggle boy, raised by devilish parents. There's no need to check in on the parents, their fates are already sealed. However I need to know what the son is like. I need to know if he has the same sadistic tendencies as his parents, and if he feels regret or remorse for anything he's done or likely is to do."

"Of course Master Harry. Yous can count on Dobby," he responded.

"Thank you my friend," Harry said smiling. "Remember, you have to remain unseen. If he does try to do anything bad, rewrite his memory and make him think that he got caught and punished. Then we'll see if his regret is genuine. Keep an eye on him unless I call for you."

"Yes Master Harry. Dobby will see it done," Dobby replied before disappearing with a crack.

"Kreacher!" Harry called next. Though Sirius still didn't get on that well with the aged House Elf, Kreacher had taken to Harry, despite being a Half-Blood, rather easily. The Elf recognized Harry as the Heir to the House of Black by blood and Magic and differed to him willingly. Kreacher quickly popped into existence in front of Harry.

"How can Kreacher serve the Heir Black?" He asked as he bent low enough that his nose rubbed the floor.

"Hello Kreacher, are you still working in the Hogwarts kitchens when you're not busy with your other duties?" Harrys asked.

"Yes Master Potter," Kreacher replied. "Master Sirius has little need of Kreacher these days."

"Well I have a task for you at Hogwarts," Harry started. "The new DADA Professor gives me a strange feeling. I would like you to run reconnaissance on him watch him at all times and stay out of sight. Most importantly however, I do not want him alone with any student. If a student has detention with him, you are to watch them and make sure he does nothing...untoward. Do you understand Kreacher?"

"Kreacher understands Master," he bowed. "What shall Kreacher do if nasty Professor tries something?"

"You are to find me and Professor's Flitwick and McGonagall," Harry replied. "And we'll take care of it."

"Yes Master," Kreacher dutifully replied before popping away, leaving Harry hopeful that Kreacher's job would be uneventful.

—

_September 1st 1992 _

As usual, Harry and Nym had arrived to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters a half hour before the train was scheduled to depart. As time went on and made it closer and closer to eleven, they started to get worried as the Weasley party had not yet arrived. Harry also knew that Daniel was to accompany the Weasleys as James was working, and Lily was feeling quite ill.

At 10:58, they both exhaled sighs of relief as Fred, George and Percy came through the barrier followed closely by Arthur, Molly and little Ginny. The parents quickly got Ginny on the train and stood by the barrier. Their faces, that conveyed nervousness, quickly changed to shock when Mr. Weasley placed his hand on the barrier and instead of going through, it sat on top as if it were solid wall.

"I'm going to see where Danny is," Harry stated to Nym as Hestia Jones came in to sit next to them.

Nym nodded, knowing there was no stopping Harry when he felt someone needed his help.

"Go on Harry, I'll tell Cedric to let the Head Boy and Girl know," She said, quickly pecking him on the lips as he swiftly made his way off the train.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley!" He called. "What happened? Where's Danny?"

"Oh Hadrian!" Mr. Weasley called back, relief evident in his voice. "We don't know what happened. We made it through the barrier alright, but when we turned to wait for the boys, they never came through. I checked it and the barrier is sealed!"

"Can't you Disapparate to King's Cross?" Harry asked.

Arthur shook his head. "During the War with You-Know-Who, the Ministry started putting up Anti-Apparition Wards around the platform to avoid attacks," Arthur explained. "The only way out is through the barrier or the private Floo and we didn't bring enough to get us both through."

Harry held out a small sack of coins. "Take this. Pay me back later. Floo out of here and find them. I'll get to the Muggle side and keep them there."

"Hadrian we can't take this-" Molly started only to be interrupted.

"Yes you can," Harry said forcefully. "It's the quickest way for you to get back. Take it and go."

"How will you get back?" Arthur asked before Molly could pick up steam and tell the boy off for talking to her like that.

"Dobby!" And just like that, his faithful Elf popped onto the platform.

"Master Harry calls Dobby," he bowed.

"Quickly Dobby, _Disillusionment Charms _and bring me to an abandoned part of King's Cross station, on the Muggle side," he ordered succinctly as the Weasley parents made their way to the Floos.

Dobby quickly obeyed and a second later, Harry was standing in a quiet alley adjacent to King's Cross Station. A quick _Point Me _later, and he was led into the main parking lot. He noticed the tell tale red hair of the Weasleys followed closely by the dark brownish red of his brother. They were walking to a blue Ford Anglia. He figured they were going to do the sensible thing and wait for Molly and Arthur to get back to the car, so he was thoroughly panicked when twelve-year old Ronald sat in the driver's seat and started the car.

Quicker than he thought possible, he had Dobby make him visible, while the Elf remained invisible, and sprinted to the car as Danny had finished storing his luggage and had sat in the passenger seat. Before Ronald could shift the car out of park Harry had made it to the front of the car and half jumped onto the hood.

"What the bloody Hell are you two doing?" He half yelled.

"Harry? What are you doing here? Did you miss the train too? We still had moments before the train had to leave but the gateway sealed itself for some reason. Come with us Harry, we're going to follow the train to Hogwarts!" Danny replied excitedly and rapidly.

"Follow the train to Hogwarts? And how do you plan on getting the car on the tracks?"

"The car flies! We're going to fly it to Hogwarts!" Danny blurted out. He flushed when he realized what he had said after Ron nudged him in the side. Harry stared at them dumbstruck. These two fools planned to break the International Statute of Secrecy by flying an enchanted car to Hogwarts.

"Get. Out. Of. The. Car" Harry demanded through gritted teeth.

Sensing Harry's ire, Ronald and Danny both got out of the car after shutting it down.

"Do you have any idea how serious this would have been if you had taken an _illegal _flying car to Hogwarts?" Harry asked quietly. "What would have happened if the enchantments failed and the car fell out of the sky with you in it? What would happen if you were seen by Muggles? Not only could you have broken the Statute of Secrecy and expose us to Muggles, but you could have been killed!"

Through Harry's reprimand, the boys began to look more and more ashamed as his words sank in. They hadn't thought of anything like that. They were just determined to get to Hogwarts.

"How will we get to Hogwarts then?" Ron asked meekly. Instead of answering, Harry pulled out his communication mirror.

"Sirius Black," he intoned. In seconds, the face of his Godfather showed up on the reflective surface.

"Harry? What are you doing? Why aren't you on the train?" Sirius asked a bit panicked.

"Daniel and Ron didn't make it through to the platform," Harry explained. "Somehow barrier was sealed before the train left and they were stranded on the Muggle side. I got off the train to find them and make sure nothing happened to them. I was able to find them quickly enough by the Weasley's car. They were going to wait for Molly and Arthur." It didn't feel good lying to Sirius like that, but he figured he dressed the twelve year olds down enough. Plus there was no need to worry them by telling the Head Auror.

"Blimey that's a tale," Sirius breathed. "Alright, I got some time right now so I'll come get you three and bring you to Hogsmeade."

"Molly and Arthur should be here any minute so we can discuss it with them when you all get here," Harry suggested.

"Sounds good Pup. I'll be there in a bit," Sirius said before shutting down the connection.

Mere moments later, Sirius, Arthur and Molly showed up to the car where Molly covered Ronald and Daniel in smothering hugs. Arthur and Sirius walked up to Harry with the former handing Harry a sack of gold and thanking him profusely for keeping the other two safe. After repeated assurances that it was alright and that nothing went wrong, the unlikely group made their way into the Ford Anglia and to the Leaky Cauldron. From there, they Flooed to the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade and the three boys killed the hours before the train was to arrive exploring the village. The Molly had fought against it, she was eventually convinced to allow Harry to watch over the two boys with a watchful Dobby watching from the shadows.

It did not take long for Harry to get bored of the nonsensical exploring Ronald and Daniel took him along and soon enough, he couldn't wait for the Hogwarts Express to arrive. After what seemed like several long and agonizing hours, the sun had set and the light of the Hogwarts Express could be seen approaching in the distance.

"Thank you Dobby," Harry said graciously. "You may return to your other duties."

"Thank you, Master Harry," the diminutive creature said before popping away.

Soon enough the train had arrived at Hogsmeade Station and deposited the student body onto the platform and Nym into his arms.

"First train ride without me since your first year, however did you survive without me?" Harry teased.

"Oh shut it! I'll have you know that I spent most of the time gossiping with Hes," she replied with a glint in her eyes.

"Oh? And what is the Hogwarts rumor mill saying now?"

"Oh you know, this and that," she teased right back. "Who's snogging who, the quality of said snogging, and talks about an eventful day in Diagon Alley not too long ago."

"Hmmm why do I feel like I'm a common factor in those three topics?" Harry asked.

"Cause you are Lover-boy," she grinned. "You should have seen Cedric's face when he heard about you almost beating up our new DADA Professor. It was glorious! Now tell me, what happened with your brother?"

—

A/N: Sorry for the serious delay. I feel like with every update I say I want to write more frequently but time and time again I just seem to lose motivation. I hope you all are doing well with this Coronavirus going around. My area is basically quarantined. Please stay safe and wash your hands!

Remember constructive criticisms only please. I feel like my motivation just drops after seeing a scathing review so please don't be a dick.

I hope you all didn't mind the scene of the trio getting together. I hope that those of you who didn't like it can cut me some slack as this is my first ever fanfiction I've written and I found it a bit difficult to come up with a potential scene for them.

Also I don't know if anyone has realized, but I write this story with very little outlines. Everything basically comes from the top of my head.

Thank you all for your support!


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